LAWS08136 Introduction to Criminal Justice- Prison Demographics

• In 2012, 53,556 cases of violent crimes were recorded.
• In 2013, 51,956 cases of violent crimes were recorded.
• In 2014, 47,775 cases of violent crimes were recorded.
• However, there was an increase in violent crimes in 2015 which was recorded at 49,755 and in 2016 violent crime also shot up to 55,854.
• One of the reasons why prison population has been on the increase in Illinois is because death penalty was abolished in 2011.

Illinois prison  population

Number of police/sheriff departments

• The state has 877 law enforcement agencies with over 41,400 police officers.
• Illinois has got 45 correctional facilities.
• There are also several community based correctional facilities (Merino, 2013).

2. The Illinois department of correction received $ 1.4 billion in the year 2015. The prison population was 48652. Therefore reducing the prison population by 25% means that the correctional facilities will have to release 12,163 inmates.

3. Major social issues

• Major social issues include:
• Crime
• Prostitution
• Drug abuse

Some of the major social issues that are bedeviling the State of Illinois are crime, drug abuse, prostitution  and immigration issues. This has been caused by the fact that there is high unemployment rate and especially for the blacks and hispanics. Crime rate increased in 2015 and 2016 with the availability of drugs like marijuana and crack cocaine readily available on the streets. There is also an issue with prostitution which is one of the issues facing this state (Senior & Crowther-Dowey, 2007).

4. Detail where the money will go (related to the social issues above).

There are three major social issues in Illinois State that lead to the increased prison population. They include the following;

• Crime
• Prostitution
• Drug abuse

By December 2015, the states adult prison facilities housed well over 46,000 inmates. This is an increase of more than 200% from the numbers recorded in 1982 where the prison population was slightly over 15,000. This is according to the US Bureau of justice which records that correctional facilities were designed to hold just over 32,000 inmates. The state of the facility shows that the facilities are already crammed and will even be more crammed in the next decade. The cost of housing an inmate is rising and therefore the state is feeling the burden of the increased number of inmates  (Cole & Smith, 2002).

In the year 2015, the cost of facilitating 11,600 employees of the Illinois Department of corrections was a staggering $1.41 billion.The cost per prisoner is even more prohibitive. The costs includes health care, pensions and capital expenses. The cost is $ 105 per inmate per day.  This amount can be reduced by directing the money to the social issues named above in order to reduce the number of people in prisons. The most important is crime. If the population is sensitized and educated on the bad effect of crime, then the people involved in crime will reduce.

5. Justify how the money will be spend and projected impacts

When redistributing the funds, the project that will be aimed at are the ones that are at the heart of the Illinois community. Crime reduction programs like talent show and encouraging the youths especially to nature their talents will be important. Rehabilitation centers are also paramount in the reduction of drug abuse and drug menace. The African American population in Illinois are good in music and athletes. In fact, most of the rappers and ballers are African Americans. Such programs should be encouraged in schools and colleges in order to reduce crime (Healey, 2006).

Almost 75% of the population in prison are serving time because of crime. The men are more compared to women and the black population is also more compared to the white males and the Hispanic.  The money should also be used to sensitize people on the importance of living a drug free life as it is interrelated with prostitution and crime.  Drugs should be discouraged and when these social vices are reduced the number of people going to prison will also reduce(Cole & Smith, 2002).

The projected impacts of the programs include

• Reduced number of people coming into prison facilities
• Reduced crime rates
• Reduced rates of prostitution and drug related abuses
• Safer environment to study, work and live in Illinois

References

Cole, G., & Smith, C. (2002). Criminal justice in America. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Dammer, H., & Fairchild, E. (2001). Comparative criminal justice systems. London: Wadsworth.

Davies, M., Croall, H., & Tyrer, J. (2010). Criminal justice. New York: Pearson Longman.

Gerstenfeld, P. (2006). Criminal justice. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press.

Healey, J. (2006). Criminal justice. Thirroul, N.S.W.: Spinney Press.

Merino, N. (2013). Criminal justice. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

Senior, P., & Crowther-Dowey, C. (2007). Understanding the modernisation of criminal justice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.