Are Prison Sentences The Best Way To Deal With Criminals Essay

Are Prison Sentences The Best Way To Deal With Criminals - Essay Example Adding even more prisoners is not in the best interest of this nation’s people because they must pay more in taxes to build more prisons, support a increasing inmate population and are in the end less safe as a consequence. The economy is also hurt as this tax money is basically thrown away unnecessarily instead of being spent within the community. For more than two decades, lawmakers have frequently updated sentencing guidelines by enacting mandatory minimum sentences. Of these modifications, the predetermined prison terms ordered by politicians have been the most prevalent by far. The movement toward more severe sentencing reforms has had adequate time to be thoroughly studied and specific conclusions obtained. The initial determination has been that the broadly held viewpoints on which these ‘tougher’ sentencing laws were legislated via the public through their representatives were for the most part wrong. The sentences for violent crimes were not as relaxed as commonly assumed prior to this period of substantial reforms nor were they softer than sentences imposed in other developed nations for similar offenses. Distorted facts used by political groups combined with the media that focused sensationalism such as showing uncharacteristic examples of light sentences given to violent offenders. During the past quarter century, the U.S. has seen an unmatched proliferation of federal and state and prison inmates.