In 1984, there were just over 463,000 inmates in State and Federal prisons, which is about 20 percent more inmates than the prisons were designed to hold. Such overcrowding increases the harshness of prison conditions and creates problems for prison management. The commonly accepted purposes of prison are to punish the offender and control crime. It controls crime by providing general deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation. The increasing severity of sentences and the larger number of persons in the crime-prone age range have been the primary factors producing prison overcrowding. Strategies for relieving prison crowding are the provision of more capacity through construction and renovation, an increase in noncustodial sentences, and a shortening of the time served in prison. 10 references and 5 discussion questions.
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