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Imbalance of Minorities

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Imbalance of Minorities in Our Prison System
Brady Jacobs
ENG 122: English Composition II
Prof. Jennifer Chagala
December 1, 2014

American prisons are highly racially imbalanced in a country that incarcerates more of its population than any other nation in the world. I see this first hand in my career as a correctional officer at a state prison. I see the imbalance every day and it doesn’t fluctuate. There are several reasons for this imbalance. Poverty, disrespect of legal structure, lack of discipline, inadequate education, and drugs are the main causes of the disproportionate ratio of minority inmates. The NAACP has a broken down some solid statistics on this issue as well. Poverty is one of the many contributing factors to why people are imprisoned. Poverty becomes more prevalent with minorities who have been previously incarcerated. It also becomes increasingly difficult for them to find a job once they are released from prison. Today’s economy is already stacked against them and if they are unable to find employment it could lead to recidivism. When people get desperate they tend to do desperate things. Here is a simple scenario: a man cannot get jobs earning money righteously so he will find other ways to provide for his family. Most men who try to make a dishonest living are eventually caught and are consequently incarcerated. Examples could range from anything to writing bad checks all the way to armed robbery. This may lead to them leaving their family to provide for themselves and often ending up on the streets. In extreme situations the kids could end up in foster care, which is a whole other story, and the mothers may turn to drugs, prostitution and stealing. Welfare plays a big role in the poverty world. Today’s welfare system is set-up for people to stay on it with no ambition to leave. They get a steady

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