The Basis for Cridme Deterren ce in the United States

The basis for crime deterrence in the United States is based on the exacting words of Beccaria, â€Å"†¦ a punishment†¦ should be public, immediate, and necessary, the least possible in the case given, proportioned to the crime, and determined by the laws. While this philosophy fulfills its intended goals, it also comes with far reaching consequences for criminal offenders and completely ignores the true goal of incarceration, to rehabilitate the offender for reintroduction into society. Mass incarceration as a means of criminal rehabilitation in the United States is extremely flawed. There are many far-reaching consequences of this practice that not only affects the incarcerated but larger society on a whole. The phrase mass incarceration, according to Oxford Encyclopedia, refers to â€Å"comparatively and historically extreme rates of imprisonment in which the concentration of imprisonment is among young, African American men living in neighborhoods of concentrated disa dvantage.† The United States has a population of about 313.9 million people, which is about 4% of the world’s population. Despite this small percentage of the world’s population, the United States accounts for 25% of the world’s incarcerated population (2.2 million Americans are in prison or jail) and this number has increased 300% since 1984. Statistics compiled by the Vlog Brothers show that 41% of young adults and juveniles will be arrested by the age of 23 and that children as young as 13 years of age have been