A variety of issues can lead to the cause of prison overcrowding. Some of these issues include the lack of space due to the size and amount of prisoners and the number of offenders being sentenced. As crime rates continue to rise, prisons continue to be filled. This is especially prevalent in many large scale cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, and New York. Correctional facilities are finding it difficult to attain space in prisons when crime continues to spread at an immeasurable level. The United States and United Kingdom are very similar in terms of prison population. According to Prisoner forum trust, The United Kingdom bears similar troubles with this issue. In 2012 it was reported that 59% of prisons in England and Wales are operating at an overcrowded level. .
While holding the statistic of a 59% overcrowded prison rate, the United Kingdom reports that the growth of prison population is actually beginning to slow down. This does not repair the issue that there still remains 7,294 more inmates in the United Kingdom Prison system than it was built and designed to hold. (BBC, 2012) The United States is projected to become 45% over the maximum population levels by the year 2018. The major difference Between the United States prison system, and the United Kingdom prison system is the fact that the United Kingdom is actually putting in efforts to correct the situation. The UK is constantly building new prison systems and renovating old ones in order to become better adapted to the consistency of the increased crime rates. The United States on the other hand, continues to overcrowd already maximized prisons adding tension between inmates. The U.S. is also responsible in some states of simply freeing inmates to free space, regardless of how much time left the freed inmate has to serve or the crime they committed. The United States should analyze the United Kingdom's method of correcting the overcrowding issue.
