war on drugs and imprisonment

Incarceration rates in the United States are rising at dangerous levels causing great concern for the future of corrections. Legislators are being provoked by negligent public opinion to adopt a “get tough” attitude on all types of crime, despite the fact it has been proven incarceration rate and crime rate are not inversely proportional. Criminologists have looked toward technological advances in surveillance and modern correctional facilities to combat overcrowded prisons. However, the solution lies in philosophy rather than technology.
Problems arise when attempting to implement high-tech security systems. Modern security can be just as costly current methods of imprisonment. There also is the issue of privacy. Systems like “Big Brother” and controlled communities are unconstitutional and intrude in the lives of law abiding citizens as well as criminals. Even if privacy issues are ignored, there still is the question of efficiency. There is no way to tell how ...