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Consequences of Using Early Prison Release as a Way to Reduce a Prison’s Budget

Among the top issues that the U.S. is grappling with currently is prison budget minimization, which has proven to be challenging to realize. Reasons akin to downsizing efforts and economic considerations have necessitated the employment of various strategies to minimize the overcrowded prisons and jails (Reitz & Rhine, 2020). One of the strategies currently employed is the use of early prison release to minimize prisons’ budgets. This strategy could either be detrimental or beneficial to the U.S. society and its criminal justice systems.  

Regarding the employment of early prison release as a strategy to reduce prisons and jails’ budgets, I hold the view that the strategy is a necessary measure. According to the Criminal Justice in Action: The Core, there are more than 2.3 million people in jail or prison and 4.8 million under supervision, necessitating the need for an urgent lowering of the figures. Cox and Betts (2021) reason that the strategy has the ability of creating a better budget, offer prisoners and jailbirds a second chance, clear space in prisons or jails, and also assist them with a recovery plan so that they can successfully integrate back into the society. While there are various ways of treating ex-offenders, like release and reentry or diversion, none can warrant that every ex-offender would not relapse into their old selves and repeat similar crimes, if not worse (Maier, 2020). I hold the feeling that while the strategy could work, there is a need to have certain adjustments, like employment of additional security measures (such as ways of tracking ex-offenders through body devices, satellites, and cellular devices if possible) so that they are kept informed that they are under surveillance and government radar (Binswanger et al., 2016). This could create in the ex-offenders a sense of self-consciousness and give the society relief that the ex-offenders are being tracked. Additionally, I feel that the process ought not to be sped up since changing and fixing the manner in which an individual acts or thinks  takes discipline, practice, and time, as supported by Sawyer and Wagner (2020).

While I agree that the early prison release is a strategy that can significant help reduce prisons and jails’ budgets, I have to admit that there are implications that could come with it. Early release program will negatively affect the society. Orrick and Vieraitis (2015) note that some ex-offenders may have health and mental challenges when quickly and inappropriately released since they will not have sufficient and necessary training to deal with everyday life when finally out of prison. Some may end up committing suicide because of stigma associated with serving a jail term or committing particular offenses (Sundt et al., 2015). There are possibilities that ex-offenders cannot achieve a successful and complete recovery, and as such can cause serious concerns and issues in the society. For instance, releasing a large number of people charged with drug dealing could directly lead them back to their old selves, especially if the releasing is done quickly and with no proper attention (Guetzkow & Schoon, 2015). These people can quickly chart their ways and their bosses and begin getting smarter regarding their dealings: (i) they can stay non-violent so that should they be caught, the charges against them can quickly be dropped; and (ii) they can begin sending new people (Reitz & Rhine, 2020). The fact that inmates connect in prison or jail is unavoidable, leading to them remaining connected as well as networked even when still inside the jails or prisons, resulting into a complete adversity to assist the process of recovery (Cox & Betts, 2021). It is also imperative to note that there are high chances of drug deals to become violent in just a few seconds.

Regarding property crimes, offenders, if released quickly and without proper help or treatment can go back to doing the same thing they used to do. There are possibilities of these ex-offenders to begin grouping and regrouping with each other after being released to commit bigger scale property criminal acts, if not worse (Maier, 2020).  Important to note is that while these offenders are still locked in jails or prisons, they get to know one another, share and exchange strategies of thinking and doing things, allowing them an opportunity to become more creative and smarter when kept locked in jails or prisons for longer durations of time.

Apart from the early release strategy, I think creation of boot camps for inmates makes more sense to me.  In the likeness of the training that civilians are trained to so that they transition into the military, inmate civilian transition can as well help. During training sessions, the offenders can be assisted with their individual challenges and get treated by experts since it takes time to transform the way an individual thinks or reacts. Through training, they would have opportunities to learn and embrace teamwork, to properly manage their time, to treat others with honour, dignity, and respect, as well as to stay respectful to and under authority, among other things. Going through such trainings would make them ready to integrate back into the society successfully.