...Running head: MASS INCARCERATION AND PRISONER RE-ENTRY MASS INCARCERATION AND PRISONER RE-ENTRY Mass Incarceration and Prisoner Re-Entry Student’s name: Tutor: Course: Date: Introduction The objective of a large number of the prisoner reentry programs is to ensure effective prisoner rehabilitation back to the community in order to reduce the likelihood of recidivism. While there have been increased efforts by the government organizations and other not-for-profit organization to promote effective reentry, the effectiveness of these programs are based on the efficiency of the strategies. Studies indicate that the rates of recidivism are greatly reduced where effective reentry programs are utilized (Baglivio, Wolff, Jackowski, & Greenwald,...
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...In today’s society, incarceration has been the medium by which justice is addressed. However, within this medium, exists inconsistencies that have caused a massive population of incarceration. The most obvious inconsistency is that the majority of the prison population is composed of minorities. Furthermore, the main reason for this mass incarceration is due to the inequalities that minorities face in this country. In this literature review, an attempt is made to take a more in depth look into different elements of inequality through the views of various authors. It will include how inequality exists in employment, education, and the justice system, while identifying the link between these elements and incarceration. In addition, it will also...
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...incarcerated (Prison Policy Initiative 2016) has a significant impact on many aspects of American society when viewed through the social and cultural lens including the psychological impact of incarceration, varying treatment based on race, and post-incarceration results. Based on the analysis of various positions of experts in the field, it is clear that certain policy reforms in the existing system would be beneficial for the incarcerated and the broader society. When comparing the scale of incarceration and other related metrics in the United States...
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...Racial Disparities in the U.S. Prison Population: Causes, Effects and Remedies Michael C. Pugh Bethel University Introduction America’s war on drugs has contributed to a steady influx of non-violent offenders into the nation’s judicial system for over thirty years. Many of these inmates are serving long sentences with rigid probation and parole policies that many believe are designed as a set-up for failure and re-offense. The result of this influx of offenders is a growing racial disparity, as shown by Bobo & Thompson: In 2004. for example, black males constituted 43.3 percent of those incarcerated in state, federal, and local prisons or jails, though only 13 percent of the total population. Whites on the other hand represented 35.7 percent of the male inmate population in 2004, well under their 75 percent of the total male population (Bobo & Thompson, 2006). (p. 451) This ballooning disparity has become a trend of increasing concern among proponents of racial equality. Many view this trend as another cog in the wheel of covert institutional racism, even labeling it “The New Jim Crow”. Among the men and women of color now residing in U.S. prisons are the potential business owners, educators and leaders of communities that sorely need them. Immediate and results-oriented attention to the racial disparity in U.S. prisons will do much to repair the damaged, needful communities of color throughout the country. BLACK CRIME: CRIMINAL OR CULTURAL? “Black...
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...about 5% of the world’s population but about 25% of world’s incarcerated people. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world. Over the last few decades, that number has skyrocketed, increasing over 400%. Somewhere along the way, we started to think that being tough on crime meant being tough on criminals. But that’s not the same thing! Incarceration is but only one piece of a much larger crime reduction picture and it’s an expensive one! It costs far beyond just dollars; the cost is to prisoners, to families and children on levels of mental health, finance, behavioral problems, and to whole social groups - in particular the african american community. Yet we struggle to address these costs, these consequences. Is it perhaps because we have this habit of thinking of prisoners as something very external to society???? after all there are literal walls between them and society walls capped with razor wire and watched over by people with guns but we have to stop. So how large of a problem is mass imprisonment really? well clearly a really large one And although many believe that mass incarceration would reduce if we focus more on reform proposals that focus exclusively on drug and other nonviolent crimes the prison population forecaster website shows that even if every person in state or federal prison for a drug offense were released today, mass incarceration would persist. so let’s address it from another angle. Violent Crimes Studies have shown Long prison...
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...mostly used for drug offense but if the offense is non violent the time in prison is usually a decade. Mandatory minimum contributes to the fact that America has a systematic problem of increase of mass incarceration, and that men of color are being deprived of things because of criminal records . Even though some believe that it prevents drug use. Overall nonviolent drug offense should be prosecuted but mandatory minimum sentencing should be eradicated. Mass incarceration refers to the unique way the United States had locked up a tremendous population in federal, state prisons, and local jails. In the text “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness” by Dr. J. Carl Gregg , it states “ In 1972, fewer than 350,000 people were being held in jails and prisons nationwide, compared with more than 2 million...
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...Reflection of the incarcerated In society, the impact and consequences of mass incarceration and the impact that affects their children cannot be ignored. Mass incarceration extends far beyond the individuals behind bars. One aspect that cannot be ignored is the huge effect it has on their children. Children of incarcerated parents often face a myriad of challenges, including emotional distress, financial instability, and disruptions in their education and social lives. These consequences not only affect the immediate well-being of the children, but can have long-lasting implications on their future generation and their opportunities. Topics and my thoughts on what I focused on. Children of incarcerated parents often face emotional and psychological...
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...In the United States of America, crime has become more prevalent, in which often results in imprisonment. According to political scientists Amy Lerman and Vesla Weaver, “The American incarceration rate quadrupled between 1970 and 2010” (Goldstein). This essentially affects African Americans, as according to Leila Morsey, “For every 100,000 black men, more than 2,700 are imprisoned” (Morsy). While incarceration affects African Americans, it also as equally important, if not more with parents. The mass incarceration of parents impacts the influence on the children of those being detained. According to prevention researchers Jane Waldfogel and Elizabeth Johnson, the number of parents with children in prison had doubled, “Approximately 600,000 children had a parent in state...
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...The Mass incarceration of people of color and felony disenfranchisement is a tool that is being utilized to continue on with legalized slavery. Through Mass incarceration and felony disenfranchisement it is easier to control people of color and legally discriminate against those who have been convicted of felonies by implementing laws that enable them to be productive citizens upon their return to society. The United States has a very dark history or oppressing the minority, this has been done through many practices such as slavery, Jim Crow laws etc. Although America has made strides in certain areas regarding equal quality of living for all, America still has ways to go. The oppressive was and discriminatory nature of America continues as...
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...Hypercriminalization of Black and Latino Male Youth” by Victor M. Rios Summarize the essay. Explain what Rios means by “mass incarceration” (41). Rios declares that his article “is to account for the social effects of mass incarceration and the criminalization of young males of color” (41). Based on the evidence he provides, what are those “social effects”? What does Victor Rios mean when he writes “These young adult deviants do not become on their 18th birthday, rather they are systematically constructed as criminals and face the wrath of the penal state and criminalization as early as 8 years of age” (41). In what ways do you think this statement is true or false? Fully explain your answer. Rios discloses that Black and Latino youth have been labeled “deviant” (41). From his explanations, why are they labeled this way, and how does this label affect them? How do the problems they face in the job sector (Rios 42) account for how young Black and Latino males may view their future outcomes? Identify the reason/reasons that the 28 non-violent offenders were treated in similar ways to Tyrone and Jose: the two violent offenders (Rios 43). Explain what Jonathan Simon means by "crisis of ‘governance’" (43). Explain what Rios means by his statement that “the government had become an abusive step-parent figure” (43). According to him, what are the effects of this “abusive” relationship? What does Rios mean by "Multi-Spatial Criminalization" (44)? Based on Jose’s...
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...institutions which label people into social categories such as the educational system and the formal labor market. The three articles discussed below explore the different faces of inequality in society. These articles are Incarceration and Stratification (2010), The Mark of Criminal Record (2003) and The Black-White Test Score Gap (2004). The overarching theme that will be pointed out below is inequality face by black people in the United States. These articles show inequalities face by black people in three different landscapes: incarceration cells, employment, and education. This paper included the role of media in the proliferation of racial inequality between white and black people. Lastly, this paper also presented the missing gaps on literature and how should we address the problem of racial inequality. Summary Inequality is present in incarceration cells. Wakefield and Uggen (2010) claimed that incarceration became a powerful “engine of social inequality that plays a massive and racialized part in the contemporary stratification system” (Wakefield and Uggen, 2010, p. 388). The study conducted by Wakefield and Uggen (2010) covers the scope of imprisonment and the process of selection into prison. The authors then proceed by giving the implications of incarceration in different aspects of their lives such as education, labor market, health, family and civic life. The method used by the author is through graphs and statistics from different institutions. They looked at the percentage...
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...and Incarceration HOMELESS AND INCARCERATION Homelessness is the problem that influences the life of the whole society. It is critical for the United States and as almost half a million of citizens do not have their own houses. They do not have the opportunities that the representatives of the general public have and cannot afford even some basic needs. Homeless individuals have to break the law and commit crimes, such as stealing food, even though they do not intend to do so, which leads to mass incarceration. This influences their behavior and increases the chances of becoming drug or alcohol addicts, which makes homeless individuals even more likely to become incarcerated. People who are imprisoned, often have no or underpaid job that does not provide these people with money enough to have a decent residence, which makes them a vulnerable population (Johnson 2015). It is important to consider what makes homeless people commit crimes that result in imprisonment. The information from various articles received during the literature review, I will reveal the connection between homelessness and incarceration, emphasizing the history that lead to their occurrence as well as the main causes of both problems. I will point out and explain the correlations between homelessness and crime rates, as well as its connections to the mental disorders, substance abuse, and chronic health condition in the context of how homeless lifestyle can be related to the incarceration. Also...
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...thanks in part to a spike in mandatory sentencing penalties, three-strikes laws, longer prison terms, and the “war on drugs.” While the U.S. experimented with its incarceration binge, a remarkable phenomenon simultaneously occurred. The crime rate fell dramatically. In fact, violent crime has fallen by half since its peak in 1991, and crime rates in Massachusetts have followed that trend. Yet, it would be wrong and dangerous to conclude that increasing incarceration was responsible for the decline in crime. In fact, a recent Brennan Center for Justice report concluded that the...
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...in employment, the housing market, education, and basic voting rights. Alexander unveils these discrimination practices by comparing modern government systems to the old Jim Crow laws. Alexander believes that the racial caste system is mostly the same and the only thing that has changed is what we call it now. People of color are mostly the ones incarcerated, so if you use the label criminal you are able to mention people of color without directly mentioning them. Language is everything and how you label it changes the way people view it. Throughout the book her biggest argument and case on this new system is incarceration specifically. Alexander uses a few good points in order to justify her claims. Alexander talks about the “War on Drugs.” Alexander says that the War on Drugs, a policy put into effect through Reagan’s reign in, increased African American incarceration. Alexander makes points that the War on drugs was launched before crack cocaine became an actual issue in black neighborhoods. Alexander also mentions that the War on Drugs was launched during a time where illegal drug use was going down. As crack cocaine spread rapidly throughout inner city poor black communities arrest and convictions were on the...
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...Lastly, Cole closed the show with “4 Your Eyez Only” which sums up the entire album. In the track Cole’s friend serves as a metaphor for death within the black communities. He addresses the effects of mass incarceration on children, which made a lot of fans see it as an affirmation. It’s hard for people to make it out of these communities when they are expected to grow up aspiring and expecting nothing greater than climbing the ladder of “hood politics” of drug and territory. He sends out a powerful message to the audience towards the end and speaks on the influence of Rap and Hip-Hop in these colored communities, and how every audience builds up different perceptions. If you listen to violent music then you will have that mentality which is...
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