This is becoming an increasingly serious problem all across the country. Many prisons house over twice the number of inmates they were built to hold. Overcrowding in prisons means that inmates often aren’t getting the training and rehabilitation services they might otherwise receive. Irritability and tension are created when there are too many people in too small a space. Tension in prisons periodically erupts into violence among the inmates, and also between the inmates and the staff. Some people think that more time, energy and money should be spent on crime prevention, while others believe that we should be tougher on criminals. These varying perspectives partly depend on what a person believes the purpose of prison to be. Some people see prison as a sort of revenge against the criminal; a way for a lawbreaker to pay for his or her crimes. Others see prison as a deterrent; something that will discourage people from breaking the law. Some see prison as a place where criminals can be rehabilitated so they can lead responsible, law-abiding lives when they are released. And others believe the purpose of prison is simply to protect the rest of society from criminals by keeping those convicted of crimes locked away.
