violence
Prison violence in the USA is increasing faster than violence out of prison (Gibbs). The violence goes from sexual violence to gang related violence. Nearly 1 out of every 20 prisoners in America has been sexually assaulted while in prison. That means 70,000 prisoners have been sexually assaulted in the last year alone. The main reason that this number is so high is because the prison authorities aren't doing an adequate job of supervising the inmates. (Fellner)
Overcrowded
Prisons overcrowding in the United States is caused by not enough space for the fluctuating crime rates. When prisons become overcrowded you see more crime going on because prisoners are more tightly packed together which causes more violence. It also has a negative effect on the psychological state of the inmates. ("Prison Overcrowding")
Prison conditions in the USA are not quite as bad as they are all around the world because of the laws that we have set here. In the United States the Bill of Rights protects you from cruel and unusual punishment, so the conditions can't be that harsh. There is still a lot of crime though that goes on that is hard to monitor.