Corrections Initiatives: How Much Are Americans Spending For Corrections?

How Much Are Americans Spending For Corrections?
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The expected range of criminal activities has increased due to the changes in lifestyle and the advancement of technology. As a result, this means that the expected number of individuals convicted of those crimes should have increased, but the truth is that violence and criminal activities have displayed an overall reduction. However, the amount that the Americans spend on corrections has tripled since the year 1980.
It is estimated that every US citizen is paying an approximation of $250 per year as compared to the $77 that they used to pay in the 1980s (Kearney, M, Harris, Jácome & Parker, 2014). This cost has been increased by some of the state and federal policies such as the repeat-offender laws and the mandatory sentencing.
As well, most of the individuals convicted for minor crimes such as the dealing of small amounts of drugs are between the age of fifteen to thirty years, and this means that their future in the labor market has been cut short. Therefore, the increase in such inmates has led to the increase in the amount spend for corrections because the benefit that they could have brought in the labor market exceeds the cost spend in correction facilities.
Also, there is a large number of aging inmates. Therefore, the states end up spending a lot of money in the health sector. A good example is the fact that around 44 states spent an approximation of $6.5 billion in 2008 (Kearney, M, Harris, Jáco...