Identify the major challenges facing our contemporary correctional system. At the turn of the nineteenth century, American prisons were known worldwide for their innovations. However, overcrowding...

Identify the major challenges facing our contemporary correctional system.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, American prisons were known worldwide for their innovations. However, overcrowding would soon become problematic in the twentieth century. During the 1970s and 1980s, a “lock and feed” philosophy of incarceration drove a significant prison population growth. Today, prison costs are one of the highest expenditures for state government. In a response to these rising inmate costs, states are turning more to community corrections programs as an alternative to institutional incarceration.

1. Which country has the highest incarceration rate worldwide?

2. What factors drove the significant rise in the rate of incarceration during the 1970s and 1980s?

3. How were prisoner rights expanded during the Warren Court Era?