Overcrowding also has deeper social, political and economic costs because through litigation it often forces states to build new facilities, whether the budget is available or not (Hanrahan, 2006). Many scholars, in fact, conclude that the "lock em up" strategy is counter-productive to the overall system of criminal justice. Drug dealers figured out how to avoid getting caught "with product;" other criminals work the system so that it is the naive being preyed upon by both sides who end up incarcerated. Certainly, there are no easy answers to violent crime, to drug addiction and proliferation, or too innumerable other criminalization issues that exist within contemporary society. In fact, "Human Rights Watch found that the United States is the only country in the world with such an array of restrictions" that are relatively ineffective (Worrall, 2008, p. 174).

Perhaps modern society might take a hint from modern dentistry -- prevention is likely the best, and least expensive long-term solution. Yes, it does appear that initial costs are high in an aggressive prevention program -- educational programs,...

However, in the long-term, putting a prisoner through the system (trials, appeals, etc.), incarceration, the legal process, and the ancillary costs associated with the penal system tax the system far more than a cogent, preventative program.
Works Cited

New York Legislature to Vote. (2009, March 2). Retrieved May 2011, from Democracy Now!: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/3/drop_the_rock_new_york_legislature

Hanrahan, C. (Ed.). (2006). America's Prisons: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven Press.

Liu, I. (2009, January 8). Paterson Once Arrested Over Rockefeller Drug Law Reform. Retrieved May 2011, from Capital Confidental: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/10410/paterson-once-arrested-over-rockefeller-drug-law-reform/

Worrall, J. (2008). Crime Control in America: What Works? New York: Allyn and Bacon.