Prisons and Alternatives: A Comprehensive Global Analysis Paper

This paper delves into the multifaceted world of prisons and their alternatives, examining the global landscape of incarceration. It begins by highlighting the prevalence of imprisonment worldwide, contrasting experiences within different prison systems, such as those in Russia and Thailand versus the more rehabilitative approach of Nordic countries like Norway. The paper explores the ineffectiveness of increased imprisonment in reducing crime rates, citing widespread dissatisfaction with the current system. It then examines the issue of prison overcrowding and the associated challenges, including inadequate living conditions and a lack of resources for offender rehabilitation. The paper advocates for a more judicious and proportionate use of imprisonment, emphasizing the need for reforms within the criminal justice system and the development of non-institutional methods for maintaining peace and order. The conclusion stresses the importance of adaptable strategies for reducing imprisonment, encompassing reforms within the criminal justice system, decriminalization, and the implementation of alternatives to incarceration.

Running Head: PAPER ON PRISONS AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
Paper on prisons and its alternatives
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1PAPER ON PRISONS AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
Introduction
It is said that life behind bars so largely unnoticed by the people, especially when they
are free and are on the other sides of the bars. However, the experience of life in prison is not
very uncommon. There are more than ten million people in the world who are prisoners in
various jails of the world. The strength of all those inmates together exceeds the entire
population of the state of Michigan. As per the statistics, the United States is known for
sentencing prison life to people that even exceeds the violence lit nation of El Salvador and
Turkmenistan.
Discussion
The experience of the inmates largely varies as it depends on where they're prisoned.
The prisons which are present in Russia and Thailand portray the U.S. system of prison time
similar to that of a holiday camp—accounts from the people behind bars include details of
forced labour, decrepit conditions of living as well as casual violence.
The manner in which a country treats its inmates speaks a lot about the government's
values in the general sense of the term. Nations that are known to mistreat prisoners are also
known to have records of human rights violation against the population at large.
In contrast to the given scenario, Nordic prisons are known for nurturing prisoners
that insist them into becoming "better neighbours," By doing so, they highlight their
preference to upholding the human rights by implementing socially liberal values. Although
it's open topic to debate which country has the most effective prison systems, Nordic
countries, i.e. Norway is the best possible answer (Sterbenz, 2014).
The result is definitely clear in the society of Norway who prefers to have free-range
murderers who enjoy the luxuries of computers, can swim in the sea and tend to horses.

2PAPER ON PRISONS AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
Norway has recorded an extremely low rate of recidivism; although they are known to lock
up only the most serious criminals, they are more likely not to re-offend (Sterbenz, 2014).
Alternatives to imprisonment
It has been proved in recent times that the increase in the use of imprisonment does
not lead to a decrease in the crime rate. The relationship that exists between the rate of
incarceration and that of crime rate is extremely complex. There is widespread dissatisfaction
regarding the present system. Imprisoning as a form of punishment thus has failed the
offenders, victims of crime, as well as the wider community. The notion of practice that
includes putting human beings behind bars questions some of the basic principles that define
humanity (Zosim, 2019). The major issue regarding the prison administration is related to
overcrowding of the prisons. In many countries, including that of India, there is a huge lack
of resources to when it comes to proper living conditions, health facilities and activities that
are constructive for inmates. This leads to situations of overcrowding followed by a negation
of schemes that are meant for reforming and rehabilitating the offender. Constructing new
prisons in order to make a place for the ever-increasing population is not a sustainable option.
This is mostly because the process of imprisonment is costly not just in terms of expenditure,
but also includes social costs that are paid from the taxpayers’ money. It damage takes place
in the social as well as the psychological form that makes the process of reintegration full of
difficulties and challenges. There is a dire need to use imprisonment in a parsimonious and
proportionate manner, which follows the Human Rights approach. Hence, the most important
challenge at present is to create and explore new territory of justice, where imprisonment is
not the major anchor. There is a dire need for reforms in the entire system. Peace, security,
and order in the society need to be maintained with the use of non-institutional methods
(Zosim, 2019).

3PAPER ON PRISONS AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
Conclusion
Reduction of any high form of imprisonment needs a strategy that is adaptable.
Criminal Justice System consists of a complicated system of the police force, prosecution,
judiciary, prison authorities as well as agencies who work for social welfare that in turn affect
and impinge each other. Actions taken around the world for the reducing in the application of
jailing have been directly related to the process of reformation in the criminal justice that
leads to the decriminalization of some cases as well as a reduction in the use of detaining the
cases that are waiting for trials. The present times are witnessing growth in the introduction
of newer alternative in the process of imprisonment along with doing away with the option of
imprisoning. However, it is important to mention that the reforms are being aimed at
diminishing the power that is vested in the system of prisons and is not limited to the surface
level.

4PAPER ON PRISONS AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
Reference
Salib, P. N. (2017). Why Prison: An Economic Critique. Berkeley J. Crim. L., 22, 111.
Sterbenz, C. (2014). Why Norway’s prison system is so successful. Business insider, 11.
Stranberg, K. W. (2010). The norway prison system. In Corrections Forum (Vol. 19, No. 6,
pp. 73-77).
Zoellick, J. C. (2018). Lock them up! Lock them up? A critique of the prison
mosaic. Futures, 101, 1-9.
Zosim, A. (2019). The prison alternatives in the modern criminal law. Criminology.