Throughout history until today, our prison system has had many problems. Prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, rape rates are off the charts, and we as Americans don't know how to fix it. We need to reduce sentences and try to rehabilitate inmates so they can function in society. Many prisoners have almost no secondary education and do not continue their studies in prison. Guards need to pay more attention to the well-being of inmates, start noticing signs of abuse and address them. These are just a few of the many problems in our prison systems that need to be addressed. Overcrowding in our state and federal prisons has become a major problem today. In the 20th century, detention rates in the United States were quite low. In the years that followed, due to economic and political factors, this rate began to increase. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of people incarcerated increased from 139 per 100,000 inmates to 502 per 100,000 inmates between 1980 and 2009. That's almost 261 percent. More than 2.1 million Americans are incarcerated and 7.2 million are either incarcerated or on parole. According to these statistics, the United States houses 25% of the world's prisoners. (Rick Wilson p. 1) Our prison systems are simply too crowded. To try to solve this problem, we need shorter sentences for minor crimes. Given the number of people incarcerated today, funding for prisons has declined significantly. With prisons growing at the rate they are now, there needs to be more funding. One in 131 American citizens is incarcerated. The rest of the citizens have to pay for this person to have a place to sleep, eat and exercise with their taxes. These taxes can and should be used for more important matters. I...... middle of paper ......."Los Angeles Times October 6, 2011: 1-2. Print.Dodd, Vikram. "Why Prison Education?." .Studies Project on Prisons, Educational Research Outreach, January 16, 2010. Web. April 12, 2014. .Wilson, Rick. “The Growing Problems of the Prison System,” November 27, 2012. Web. Prison Rape Largely Ignored by Authorities.” ABC News, April 16, 2002. Web April 13, 2014. .Lozoff, Bo. “Seven Ways to Fix the Criminal Justice System: Renaissance Universal Renaissance Universal, 21.” June 2003. Web April 3.. 2014. .