Purpose Statement: The Consequences of Repeat Offenders within the United States
The cost that taxpayers, the criminal justice system, and the United States government pay for the consequences of repeat offenders is a high one, without critical thinking and strategic planning it could become an economic downfall for our nation. "The Pew Center on the States found that slightly more than four in 10 offenders return to prison within three years, increasing prison spending that now costs states $52 billion annually (K. Johnson, 2011, para.2).
The United States is known to have the highest prison population of all the nations, in 2013 there was a reported number of 1.57 million inmates incarcerated across the United States (Flatow, 2014). A big reason for these dramatic numbers is the high rate of repeat offenders who return to prison at least once after being incarcerated their first time. "The number of inmates returning to state prisons within three years of release has remained steady for more than a decade, a strong indicator that prison systems are failing to deter criminals from re-offending "(K. Johnson, 2011, para.1).