Rethinking Sentencing: Alternatives to Incarceration for Nonviolent Crimes

Name Professor Course code Date Forum Description: Sentencing The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population yet incarcerates 25 % of the world’s prisoners. The justification of this sentiment is attributed to legislation. Policymakers believe that high rates of incarceration reduce crime rates. The harsh policies on detention are there to mitigate crime in the country. The United States has incorporated tough-on-crime policies putting criminals in jails and prisons to a greater extent (McNair-Williams and Shandrika). The high incarceration rates in the US are attributed to the tremendous rise in crime, increased use of crack cocaine and illegal drugs, and implementation of harsh crime policies such as three-strikes laws, which allude to harsh sentencing. Offenders who have committed nonviolent crimes should be offered alternative sentences other than incarceration. An example of a nonviolent crime is possessing a small number of drugs, for instance, 200g of marijuana. This person has not given the drug to anyone or hurt anyone. This nonviolent crime can put a person in prison. Incarcerating people with nonviolent crime