...The United States of America has the highest incarceration rate in the world. America holds 5% of the world’s population, yet it houses 25% of the world’s prisoners (Walmsley 2013). The approximate amount of spending on our nations prisoners is 74 billion dollars, annually (Silver 2014). With the cost of rising incarceration in the U.S. and climbing recidivism rates, it is more apparent than ever that the American Prison Industrial Complex (“PIC”) is in great need of reform (Wagner 2014). The PIC enforces a recidivism cycle in which more than 50% of prisoners return to prison less than 3 years after release, thus being referred to by the PEW Research Center as “The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons” (2011). Not only is this cycle inflicting...
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...intensive incarceration, programs. Are intended to be short-term residential programs that incorporate basic military training. These programs are designed to target convicted adult offenders. The first boot camps began operation in the adult correctional systems of Georgia and Oklahoma in 1983. The Boot camp Prisons are designed as alternatives to the normal incarceration. Boot camps prison were created to reduce recidivism rates, as well as prison populations and operating costs. The goal to reducing recidivism by changing inmate’s problem behaviors that likely contributed to their odds of reoffending. The idea is that behavior modification can occur through...
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...influenced by the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. The assumption of innocence, due process of law, double jeopardy, mass incarceration, inequity and gun law disparities to name a few are constantly at odds with current affairs. The U.S. Constitution shapes the U.S. Criminal Justice System with rights and due process for all citizens. The US Criminal Justice System is currently faced with challenges of prison overcrowding, mental health, drug offenses, inequity and gun violence. American society keeps asking for changes to be made to each part of the system. Changes and the...
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...RACE AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 2 “According to the U.S. Justice Department, in 2003 about 10.4% of all African American men between the ages of 25 to 29 were incarcerated, as compared to 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of non-Hispanic White men” (DeVry, 2015). This topic is critical to the study of cultural diversity because of the racial disparity among the young African American males in the criminal justice system and the lasting effects of incarceration. This research paper will unveil the truth about why African men in this age group are much more likely to be sent to prison than are people of White or Latino descent. . African American men are often charged and prosecuted more aggressively than White or Hispanic men. This paper will also reveal the adverse mental and physical health endured by black males during incarceration and upon release. Recent studies indicate that inadequate education and low socioeconomic status has a direct correlation between black males and crime. As the United States becomes an increasingly diverse nation, many studies confirm racial inequalities exist amongst judges, lawyers and legislation. This creates the very serious concern of racial profiling. While racial profiling is illegal, studies prove that black males are more likely to be stopped and searched. New York State is only one of two states that automatically processes, prosecutes and incarcerates 16 and 17 year-olds as adults. Legislation...
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...Morton Urban Policy/UST 458 Cleveland State University Abstract In the United States the prison population has increased from 300,000 in 1972 to 2.2 million people today. One in 31 adults in the United States is in jail, prison, on probation or parole. The American government currently spends over 68 billion dollars a year on incarceration. Drug Policy and the incarceration of low-level drug offenders is the primary cause of mass incarceration in the United States. Forty percent of drug arrests are for simple possession of marijuana. Growing evidence indicates that drug treatment and counseling programs are far more effective in reducing drug addiction and abuse than is incarceration. Drug policies most often refer to the government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug abuse. Demand reduction measures include prohibition, fines for drug offenses, incarceration for persons convicted for drug offenses, treatment (such as voluntary rehabilitation), awareness campaigns, community social services, and support for families. Policies which may help mitigate the effects of drug abuse include needle exchange and drug substitution programs, as well as free facilities for testing a drug's purity. Political...
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...Introduction The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is the principal federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels. It provides direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation. The JJDPA was originally enacted in 1974 and even though the JJDPA has been revised several times over the past 30 years, its basic composition has remained the same. Since the act was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused solitary on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Since the original enactment of the JJDPA in 1974, the periodic reauthorizations have been controversial, as the Act's opponents have sought to weaken its protections for youth, reduce prevention resources, and encourage the transfer of youth to the adult criminal justice system. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system. The four "core protections" of the act are, the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Sight and Sound separation, Jail Removal, and Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC). The "DSO" and "Sight and Sound" protections were part of the original law in 1974. The "Jail Removal" provision was added in 1980 in response to finding youth incarcerated in adult facilities resulted in "a high suicide...
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...exception that went against the Bill of rights. Black bodies accumulated within the prison system and even with the removal of mandatory minimums many were set in a perpetual cycle of recidivism. While within the prison the 13th Amendment allowed these same bodies to endure a condition analogous to that of their ancestors. Alexander sheds light on this issue with her inclusion of the example, “ Today, many inmates work in prison, typically earning far less than the minimum wage—often less than $3 per hour, sometimes as little as 25 cents. Their accounts are then “charged” for various expenses related to their incarceration, making it impossible for them to save the money that otherwise would allow them to pay off their debts or help them make a successful transition when released from prison.” (Alexander 70) The previous quote conveys the notion that prisoners are virtually paid very little, one could even argue not at all. The oppressive nature of America’s justice system does not seek to reform prisoners so that...
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...Crime statistics and incarceration rates reveal that young African American men are prosecuted and imprisoned at higher rates than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts. Although the total number of incarcerations by race does not vary significantly, the age of prisoners by race is meaningful. In December 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice statistics for sentenced male prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction totaled 1,537,415. Broken down by race, African American lacks totaled 555,300 prisoners with Whites totaling 465,100 and Hispanics 331,500. As the assignment scenario noted, in 2003 there was disparity between the incarceration rates for males aged 25-29 among races. As of 2011, rates for the same age group do not show as wide of a gap. In 2011, White males ages 25 to 29 comprised 14.4 percent of incarcerated males compared to 16.5 percent African American lacks and 18.8 percent Hispanics. The statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice for 2011 show that, “More than half (52%) of white male prisoners were age 39 or younger, compared to 63% of black and 68% of Hispanic male prisoners.” There remains disparity when age is factored into the incarceration rates with eleven percent more Blacks and sixteen percent more Hispanics incarcerated than Whites for those 39 and younger. In addition, one must consider that African Americans have higher rates of arrest, conviction, and incarceration when they total a minority number in the population. When evaluating...
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...Safety in one’s life is paramount. Safety/security is not only physical but mental as well. By these pervasive laws in juvenile justice more and more youth are being victimize and abused inside juvenile facilities. Locking youth up may decrease emotional development and the likelihood to increase recidivism. Research Zhang stated “the age at first referral (to the justice system), father absence, and special education status were associated with recidivism” and “ youth arrested before 14 years of age are two to three times more likely to become chronic adult offenders, (Zhang et al, 2011, P.284). They may not receive adequate medical and mental health treatment in juvenile facilities. In addition, emotional distress will be high and the chances of minorities receiving non placement in a facility is slim to none. Maslow discussed that safety/security needs are listed just above physiological needs. He described that safety needs has to be met before an individual can thrive and feel important. However, Stone (2012) didn’t exactly agree with Maslow but her observation on security was closely related. Stone stated...
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...THE EMPLOYER AND THE EX-OFFENDER: THE DISCRIMINATORY EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………… 3 II. OFFENDER AND EX OFFENDER HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES………….. 5 A. LEGAL HISTORY OF EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST EX OFFENDERS ……… 5 B. THE NUMBER OF EX OFFENDERS IS RAPIDLY INCREASING .............................................................................8 C. IMPACT OF CONVICTION ON EMPLOYABILITY OF EX OFFENDERS ................................................................. 10 III. CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS AID IN THE DISPROPORTIONATE EXCLUSION OF MINORITIES ………………………………………………………………………………… 13 A. EMPLOYERS ARE PREJUDICED UPON FINDING CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS .................................................. 13 B. BLACKS AND LATINOS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE WORK FORCE DUE TO STIGMAS OF MINORITY STATUS AND CRIMINAL RECORD ....................................................................................................................... 15 IV. HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY TURNS ON EMPLOYER HIRING PRACTICES INFLUENCED BY CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 A. THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION ATTEMPTS TO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED GUIDANCE ON CONDUCTING CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS AND SUBSEQUENT HIRING PRACTICES ..................................................................................................................... 18 B. NOTABLE LEGAL ACTION STEMMING...
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...Criminal Justice System Assessment Introduction The criminal justice system is a crucial feature of American culture and the foundation of the Bill of Rights within the United States Constitution. The sole intentions of the laws are to safeguard the people from harm, ensure the publics safety, and uniformly treated. The criminal justice system labors to safeguard the guiltless and discipline the responsible without infringing the right of the suspected offender, refraining from any corruption. As society progresses the criminal justice system must advance so it is vital to establish new laws remain current on the advancement and new trends. As contemporary issues and new trends evolve in society, they can endure a precise affect on the various roles of the criminal justice system, for example, sentencing policy, procedures, technologies, and capital punishment, which harbor immense impacts on the criminal justice system. Furthermore, corrections, courts, and the police additionally take part in establishing retribution. Contemporary and future trends are going to and have direct impacts on the duties of the criminal justice system. Recently technology has been influencing the criminal justice system and will remain. In the forever-changing world of technology, the criminal justice system must keep up with recently developed technologies. This essay will explain recent and future trends and contemporary issues affecting the criminal justice system and the value of the criminal...
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...It was not so long ago that prisoners were fed bread and water and chained up together during the day to perform hard labor. Some even say that we need a return to those days! Nowadays prisons are very different and a variety of programs (some rather strange) have been implemented as jail time moves away from punishment to rehabilitation. This is a selection of ten of those new programs.10 Children in prison 2251494641 8Df45A2F96In the early 1990s the Mexico City government decided it was better for children born in prison to stay with their mothers until they were 6 rather than to be turned over to relatives or foster parents. The children are allowed to leave on weekends and holidays to visit relatives. A debate continues among Mexican academics over whether spending one’s early years in a jail causes mental problems later in life, but for the moment the law says babies must stay with their mothers. In Ohio they are trying a program called The Achieving Baby Care Success program. It began in June 2001. The 12 mothers currently participating live in a special wing of the prison. The babies sleep in identical cribs in their mothers’ cells. Between prison roll calls, mothers take their children to the in-house nursery for scheduled activities.9 Victim Offender Mediation Img 0013 600Victim-offender mediation, or VOM (also called victim-offender dialogue, victim-offender conferencing, victim-offender reconciliation, or restorative justice dialogue), is usually a face-to-face...
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...will discuss the first link in detail which is the Class-Domination Theory of Power. As Domhoff goes into detail about, it is hard to pin point one certain definition of power, and even one true definition does not show how power should be measured in quantity. Never-the-less, the upper class in the United States hold the power, have always held the power, and will continue to hold the power unless a radical social change takes place. One quote I found to be very helpful was when Domhoff stated that “Domination by the few does not mean complete control, but rather the ability to set the terms under which other groups and classes must operate.” In the United States, some people are offended by the fact that the rich hold the power. This is America, power is held by the people for the people. Or so we are led to believe. The upper class has kept the power for so long, they believe they are elite now and are the rightful owners of power. They benefit, so they govern, and ultimately “win”. I have to wonder though if the rich are really setting social norms as well as economic norms for the lower class. Dealing with the economy and income, the rich certainly do make it hard for lower class people to succeed, but socially I feel like each group has grown to have its own social norms. This has happened because the upper class in the United States has different goals than the lower class, so there is not one universal goal even though both groups strive to achieve it. The goals and norms...
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...RACISM IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM By Nichole Griffith Advised by Professor Chris Bickel SOC 461, 462 Senior Project Social Sciences Department College of Liberal Arts CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY June, 2012 © 2012 Nichole Griffith Table of Contents Research Proposal ............................................................................................................................1 Annotated Bibliography ...................................................................................................................2 Outline..............................................................................................................................................6 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................7 Research ..........................................................................................................................................8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................29 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................31 Research Proposal The goal of my research is to expose the racism in the criminal justice system that is so hidden. I want to show how racism contributes to the huge number...
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...Rehabilitation versus Punishment for our Youth DeAnna Tefke Placing the same level of punishment on adolescents and minors as we do on adults causes more harm than good. Instead of rehabilitating our younger generation for crimes they commit, we are hurting them by providing harsh punishments that they cannot come back from. The juvenile sex offender’s registry and notification laws are controversial and proponents of these laws feel they act as deterrents to future offending even though there is no evidence to support this claim. In many cases recidivism has decreased with the proper assessment and treatment. Our country has an overzealous sex crime legislation dating back to the 1880s. In the United States there are three types of legislation dealing with sex crimes. The first was pre-World War II when offenders were subjected to indefinite institutionalization and sterilization. These policies were jointly influenced by the fields of sexology and eugenics (Ordover, 2003). Sexologists promoted the view that minor forms of sexual misbehavior would predict future sexual violence and homicide (Jenkins, 1998), whereas eugenicists promoted the view that criminal behavior was genetically determined (Ordover, 2003). Both of these fields developed the view that sexual offending was considered intractable, resistant to change and escalating, therefore, new legislation was established to enact extreme interventions by institutionalization offenders. In order to keep society...
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