Tactic Use in Response to Overcrowding Prisons

The problem of overcrowding prisons engenders a number of problems many developing countries cannot cope with. In such a situation, such countries as Brazil, India and, partially South Africa cannot apply tactics in the USA, where the number and capacity of prisons steadily increase respectively to the growth of the prison population (Brantingham and Brantingham, 1991). As a result, Brazil, India and South Africa have to solve two juxtaposing problems: on the one hand, it is necessary to reduce crimes, while, on the other hand, it is impossible to keep increasing the prison population.

Obviously, Brazil, India and South Africa need to develop a tactic different from building new prisons to solve the problem of overcrowding prisons because building new prisons implies huge investments and funds, which these countries do not have at their disposition (Abramsky, 2002). In such a context, the only plausible solution is the substitution of imprisonment by a different punishment. In this respect, it is possible to change the general strategy of the justice system in Brazil, India and South Africa making it less punitive. Instead of imprisonment, it is necessary to introduce practices of probation and parole at larger scale. At the same time, in order to reduce costs spent on supervision officers and services, it is possible to involve the local community in supervision over offenders. For instance, the community can create special committees, funded by the community local budget, which can supervise and control offenders under the parole or probation.

Thus, the substitution of imprisonment by alternative punishment, such as probation, can reduce the prison population in Brazil, India and South Africa.

References:
Abramsky, S. (2002). Hard Time Blues: How Politics Built a Prison Nation. Thomas Dunne Books.
Brantingham, P. J. and Brantingham, P. L. (1991). Environmental Criminology. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.