I am Kyle's self-indulgence

NPR: San Quentin's Gym Becomes One Massive Cell

The link above will take you to a story about California's San Quentin prison, which embodies the problem of prison overcrowding in just about every state in America. I highly recommend listening to it.

Prisons in America have reached a point at which they are merely adding to the crime problem. When someone is arrested for minor drug possession or a parole violation, he is placed in the type of place described in the NPR story: a dangerously overcrowded criminal population segregated along racial lines. That man is forced to choose a gang to join, which teaches him a host of new criminal behaviors. With no rehabilitation or career education programs, is it any surprise that he will be arrested again soon after being released?

What is especially frustrating about this problem is that the only reason for it is politics. During the 80s and 90s a sure way for a politician to get elected was to talk about getting Tough On Crime and creating harsher sentences for minor criminals. This approach was very effective at winning elections, but we are now faced with the real-life consequences.

What's even more depressing is that there is no easy solution that policymakers are willing to take. The only way to decrease prison populations is to stop putting people away for minor crimes and parole violations--but suggesting we go easier on criminals is political suicide.

So our politicians continue to play at being Tough On Crime to win some easy votes, and we continue to add to our overcrowded prisons without considering any lasting solutions.