American prisons are filled to the brim. With new prisoners being transferred daily and few being released into the world, it is no wonder that the biggest problem with today's prison system is the massive overcrowding in our prisons. American prisons are overcrowded with petty criminals. The majority of people incarcerated are due to violent crimes. However, another large group of people in prison are drug offenders who have been convicted of either possession or use. I find the situation of imprisoning people for possession of marijuana ridiculous. Yes, consuming marijuana is illegal; However, I don't see this as a reason to spend years in a cage. Instead, as Gopnik mentions in his essay, "When the New York Police Department stopped and searched kids, the primary goal was not to jail them for using weed, but to get their fingerprints." This system would work well because it keeps people accused of a lesser charge out of the already overcrowded jail, but allows them to be easily introduced into the system when a more serious crime is committed. Prisons need constant maintenance to ensure dangerous prisoners are safe. their cells and unable to escape into society where they then have the opportunity to harm innocent people, but what if we put these innocent people in prison alongside the most dangerous prisoners. Just because people are convicted of minor offenses does not mean they deserve a punishment that will lock them into a system that could potentially ruin their lives. Drug possessors, embezzlers, swindlers, all these petty criminals, currently face prison sentences if caught in many states. Instead of putting in prison those who made small mistakes with murderers and rapists, why not convict them... middle of paper... accused of minor crimes so as not to be imprisoned. However, if such a reform were to take place, it could contain elements intended to help those who have committed minor crimes and allow them to continue to be part of society. After all, being part of society would increase the amount of money prisons receive, because those who commit minor crimes would still pay their fair share of taxes. Works CitedExum, Jelani Jefferson. “Conviction, Drugs and Prisons: A Lesson from Ohio.” » U. Tol. L. Rev., 42. (2010): 881. Print. Gopnik, Adam. “The Caging of America.” The New Yorker, 1/30. 2012: Print.Rowl. "Too much in, not enough out? Supervision Violators, Probation Supervision, and Overcrowding in the Federal Bureau of Prisons." Federal Probation, 77. 2 (2013): 3--16. Print.Stelloh, Tim. "California's Great Prison Experiment." The Nation, 06/24. 2013: 31-34, printed.