Prisons

U.S. prisons are highly dangerous places for inmates and prison staff alike. Housing a mix of criminal offenders—from drug abusers to murderers—while ensuring the safety of staff members and protecting the rights of inmates is a complex and daunting challenge undertaken each day in prisons nationwide. That challenge is heightened as more prisoners enter correctional facilities. In 2002, some 1.4 million inmates were held in federal and state prisons, an 82 percent increase since 1990. When facto