Sociology

From a macro perspective, the conversion of San Quentin Gymnasium into a prison facility is the result of prison overpopulation, increased violence in the streets, and recursive racial and ethnic tensions. In just over 10 years, Californias prison population doubled. The state lacks the sufficient number of prison facilities to incarcerate inmates. This overpopulation is a symptom of a larger social problem. Crime rate increases by 10 annually. Racial and ethnic tensions rocked the streets. The likelihood that inmates will keep coming back is close to 70. Indeed, from a macro perspective, the conversion of the gym was the outcome of social tensions  exacerbated by existing gaps in social policies.

From a micro perspective, the general outcome of prison overpopulation is racial segregation. Racial segregation is an effective means of reducing ethnic violence in the prison. According to prison officials, the primary rule of the prison is race. Individuals isolated from their own social group are often violent and uncontrollable. To reduce this likelihood, inmates are grouped by race. This herding effect enables the inmates to adapt to existing social conditions in the prison. There is however a setback. The number of racial groups in the facility is more than a dozen. Prison officials have difficulty grouping the inmates because people often come from multiracial lineages.

Overpopulation has also a dramatic effect on the prisons incarceration program. With so many inmates at the prison, there is no space for the programs that could keep them out. Inmates keep returning to the prison every three years. This rehabilitation paradox will likely to continue if the number of prison facilities throughout the state is not increased.