...At any given time, thousands of minors under 18 are placed in the American prison and judicial system. Many of them are like Steve Harmon, the protagonist of Walter Dean Myers’ novel Monster. Monster is a complex look at the American prison and judicial system. The novel follows Steve Harmon, a 16 year old on trial for felony murder. In jail, Steve stays quiet and writes in his journal, trying to avoid confrontation. In court, he and his attorney work to gain the jury’s favor in order to have Steve found innocent, which he is, at the conclusion of the novel. Based on statistics, though it should be noted that Steve’s not guilty plea is unlikely, Monster accurately portrays a real life experience in the American prison and judicial system by including violence in jail, the possibility of severe punishment, and a racial makeup similar to that of an American prison. While in jail, Steve is surrounded by violence, true to the experience of innumerable others in a similar situation. One instance where Steve experiences this is on the second page of Monster when he writes “This morning at breakfast a guy got hit in the face with a tray. Somebody said some little thing and somebody else got mad. There was blood all over...
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...A World Apart Jackie Wolfe September 25, 2010 In the world there are several countries who conduct their correctional systems the same as the United States and then there are some who do just the opposite. The American correctional system is designed to incarcerate and try to rehabilitate offenders, if possible. I chose to compare the American correctional system with that of the Iraqi correctional systems. This paper will show the differences in the two. It will also show how the American correctional system is run in comparison to that of the Iraqi correctional system. The American correctional system is set up with different types of prisons. Most prisons are run by the state government although the United States does have federal prisons. The federal prisons are run by the federal government. In the United States, prisons are operated at various levels of security, ranging from minimum-security prisons that mainly house non-violent offenders to Supermax facilities that house well-known criminals and terrorists (DeMaille, 2007). In the United States, prisons house more than two million prisoners. The majority of criminals in the prison system are because of drugs and violent crimes. As of the end of August 2010, there were approximately 210,000 prisoners in federal prisons with about half of those for drug related crimes (BOP, 2010). In the United States there are two well-known federal penitentiaries. They are Alcatraz, which is closed...
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...RUNNING HEADER: American Prisons 1 The American Prisons and Judicial Systems Megan Pierce English Composition 122 Professor Angela Temple September 23, 2013 American Prisons 2 There’s no question about the about the racial disparity in America’s prison system. More than 60 percent of people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities. For black males in their thirties, one in every ten is in prison or jail on any given day. These trends have been intensified by the disproportionate impact of the “war on drugs,” in which two thirds of all persons in prison for drug offenses are people of color. Guerin, P., Harrison, (2011) Washington, D.C: Bureau of Justice statistics. American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population. Is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes, or the manner in which the judicial system operates? Some people have negative views about the people in the inner cities where disproportionate numbers of impoverished and African Americans live. Robert Right, an evolutionary psychologist believed the high rate of young African American men in prison is due to their adaptation to poverty. Conservatives think poverty is due to African American sub culture that is pathologic. Harvard professor James Wilson claimed, “The reason why it is called an underclass is that its members have a bad character: they mug, do drugs, and desert children.” (Miller,1996). There is a recurring idea that the inner...
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...disparity in u.s prisons MBOGO .W. APOLLO (MOI). Professor: Institution affiliated Date: Racial disparity in prisons in America can be conceptualized as a situation where the population of a specific group of people is the most in the criminal justice system as compared to the general population. Prisons in U.S.A are a significant constituent of the criminal justice system. The main function of the American prisons is to protect society from violation of law, to rehabilitate also punish the law breakers in order to assist them to be responsible members of the society. The prisons in the state continue to grow in order to meet the demands of the correctional and the criminal justice system in general. However, the trend in the justice system, especially in the prisons, is characterized by ethnic disparity. This normally compromises the level of justice dispensation. It has been a controversial issue for several decades among the prisons in the state. Some individuals seem to defy the concept of existence of disparity in the justice system. They believe that it does not exist. For instance, statistics that were presented by Marc Mauer proved that if the argument that there existed racial discrimination in the prisons, then the extraordinary rise in the American prisons in the past three decades would be explained in six fold increase. This to him would eventually lead to incarceration of two million Americans. For instance, “one in every eight African –American male aged...
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...Introduction The prison system in America has been a constant issue of mass-incarceration, a lack of rehabilitation, and a rate of reentry that far exceeds that of any other nation, yet this problem’s escalation has done little to bring it to the platform of reformation. The prison system has cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, and a majority of these citizens are completely unaware of the needlessness of the costs with which they are burdened. With 2.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S., Americans cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye to the economic issues presented by the current prison system (Council of Economic Advisors 3). Due to prison growth, an increasing incarceration rate, and a lack of rehabilitation and...
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...The United States Prison System A Glimpse Behind the Bars Currently there are 2.2 million Americans behind bars. They cost the country $60 billion a year. Studying the American prison system and the issues that currently exist within it is an exhausting task. Even taking a mere glimpse at the overlaying problems will provide an intense awakening and much material for critical thought. Discrimination based on race clearly exists within the prison system. 1. On December 31st, 2005-There were an estimated 491 prisoners per 100,000 United States residents, up from 411 at the year 1995. As well, there were 3,145 black male sentenced inmates per 100,000 black males in the United States. There were 1244 Hispanic male sentenced inmates per 1000 Hispanic males and 471 white male inmates per 100,000 while males, at this time. To visit the Bureau of Justice Statistics page, Prison Statistics, click here. This racial discrimination that exists within the prison system is having great effects on the country, especially in the area of voting. 1. “According to an October 1998 report by The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based legal research and service organization, in a dozen states, 30 to 40 percent of the next generation of black men will permanently lose the right to vote if current trends continue. In nine states, one in four black men can never vote again because they were convicted of a felony. Upon release from prison in Washington State, felons automatically lose...
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...A truly American legal system was non-existed prior to the American Revolution (1775-83), a very loose English system was in place. This was one of the leading reasons for the American Revolution. The founding fathers took a broader view of the world, and of governing people. As the American Revolution ends, a very limited system of justice exists. Courts, punishments criminal codes varied widely from colony to colony. After many decades of experimentations in court decisions and legislation began to form a modern criminal justice system. The declaration of rights (1776, Virginia) was the model for the U.S Bill of Rights, this was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1791. A good example of experimentation or the different colonies approach to crime and punishment. This would be the Quakers of Pennsylvania; their religious beliefs led them to incarceration verses execution. To this day the death penalty is still different from state to state, and from person to person. The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (1787), this was the first prison reform attempts, rehabilitation over beatings. And a separation of prisoners in to four different categories, a system to help the criminals. So, society tries to evolve a more humane prison, although the rural jails were run poorly with a primitive setting. As early as 1794 Pennsylvania recognizes the difference between first degree murder(planned act to kill) and second degree murder, this starts the states...
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...Models of American Prison A prison is in place to confine and deprive people from their basic freedoms. A prison is an institution that is part of the criminal justice system that is imposed for the conviction of a crime. A criminal that is charged or going to be charged will be held in a prison if unable to come up with the money for bail. A criminal defendant is also placed in a prison if they are found guilty of a crime (Americanprisonsystem.com, 2009). Throughout this paper the history of a prison, the Penitentiary Rivalry between Pennsylvania and New York and the effect these have had on the prison system we have in place today. The American prison system has been in place since the late 18th century. “Bridewells” were the first prisons and they were found in England. These prisons had very little to do with any form of punishment and were mainly used as holding cells for those facing a trial or those about to be executed, or those being banished from their community. The Walnut Street jail was the first penitentiary to be opened by the state of Pennsylvania in 1790.This particular jail was ran on the ideal that silence from the inmates would encourage them to think about their crime and then their conscience would lead them to repent for their crimes (Gaines & Miller, 2009). Being isolated from one another and being kept busy with different tasks was how the inmates lived. The prison eventually began to experience the same problems that the prisons in today’s...
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...to expect better results in the future; indeed, if anything just the opposite.” Some may know that the United States’ method of imprisonment is unique in comparison to others, but unique does not always mean better. Our system is expected to reform those incarcerated and help them...
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...Name Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Customer Inserts Grade Course (06, 07, 2012) Racism in criminal justice system Introduction Justice is a term that we hear a lot in our everyday life and also accept it although many of us might have a doubt as to what it truly means. Justice is the phenomenon through which we could achieve righteousness and equality. But unfortunately racism has been a common practice in the criminal justice system. Racism is actually discrimination against a group or individual based on color, social and financial status. It is something that occurs more than we notice. Many scholars believe that racism play a more important role in targeting and sentencing process in the criminal justice system and this is something which should not happen in any country no matter what. In order to understand the role that racism plays in the criminal justice system we must, first, look at the role that it plays before the criminal reaches the day of sentencing in the court. There are various publications that speak on profiling and actuarial methods which unwillingly get people into the system. Though these are two major components of the discriminatory acts that exist within the criminal justice system, it does not actually begin with these institutionalized methods. It is the laws and crime control policies that create discrimination in the system. It has been witnessed that in some instances these laws and policies are set in favor of the white people and in...
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...rehabilitation tactic. “A system of behavior modification was introduced in the Walnut Street Prison, the system of secondary reinforcement so widely used in today's prisons. Each prisoner was given fair pay for his/her labor. The prisoner was debited for the cost of maintenance, and an additional sum was deducted for the prisoner's share of tools. The prisoner was also required to pay the costs of the trial, as well as a fine to the State. If there was a balance against the prisoner at the time of expiration of sentence, the person was retained until it was liquidated.”(Takagi, n.d) Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment for the commission of many offenses. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and the highest prison population in the world. When researching the American Correctional System there is a lot of information to cover, such as the types of offenders in the system and the different levels of security. How do the United States correctional system compare to Canada’s correctional system? In the American correctional system there are varying levels of security ranging from minimum security to high security prisons. “Prisons are operated on the basis of care, custody, and control. Prisoners are classified by security level or type of crime as well as by custody level and privileges earned by good behavior, but prisons are only classified by security level. A maximum security prison tends to put the cellblocks...
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...The justice system is made to be fair and equal to all. The united states is based in principals of freedom equality. Are these facts and morals actually true within our own system of justice? Endless amounts of data, stats and news coverage tells a different story. While our legal system is designed to be blind, the reality shows that the system benefits those of a higher class. There is also evidence that supports the fact that the system discriminates based off race and gender. First off, the obvious case of the system benefiting those of a higher class is the implementation of bail. Bail is the release if a accused person while they await trail on the payment of a sum of money. This allows people with money to avoid ever going to prison and fall into the detrimental cycle that comes along with it. In this case, simply having money puts people at a major advantage, allowing them to avoid prison and prepare for their trial while poor people must go and sit...
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...Running head: THE CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM IN AMERICA The Correctional System in America in need Of Revamping, Yes or No? Abstract The correctional system in America is failing, and it impact on the community is disproportionate. It has a direct and indirect influence in the community, in it values, family structure, and in the lives of the inmates it hold. Americans should take stand and revamp the system today to avoid regretting it tomorrow. Introductory Paragraph I. A growing number of Americans are seeking reforms for the correctional systems in the country. Some agree with this thought and some disagree with it. II. With more prisoners being added by the hundreds each week, chaos is dominating the correctional department. III. Whatever the case may be, there is not a doubt that the correctional system in America is not working, and is failing to resolve important issues such as: A) Crowdedness. B) Health and drugs problems. C) Rehabilitation. Transition Body IV. Prisoners need to be packed like sardines. V. Violation of privacy. VI. The government has to care even for criminals. VII. Lack of personal space might have psychological effects on prisoners, it has been proven. Transition VIII. Health and drugs crimes are also being committed outside. IX. Prisoners are being force to live with health and drugs issues. X. Government should provide...
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...The Prison System CJS/200 October 24, 2010 Monty Mathis The Prison System History of the prison system Prisons back in the 16th and 17th centuries were used to punish people who could not pay their taxes, and rent among other things they were called Debtor’s prison these were a form of a work house. A public display of punishment for a convicted criminal such as stock’s even branding. In the 18th century this is when the public started opposing the death penalty except for serious crimes such as murder. From the mid 18th century to be imprisoned meant hard labor for those who committed petty crimes. By 1777 John Howard (namesake of the Howard League) chastises the prison system as being filthy, barbaric, and disorganized. (Howard League, 2006) The Great Penitentiary Rivalry involved the state of Pennsylvania and the state of New York. And, each state believed that the system they had in place was the best system to address the constant issue of overcrowding. Pennsylvania constructed two new prisons; the Western Penitentiary and the Eastern Penitentiary. Their system was based on the concept of silence as a virtue (Gaines & Miller, 2009). In Pennsylvania the inmates were kept separate from one another and the only contact they had was with clergyman and staff. New York’s Newgate Prison, built in 1791, was operated the same as those in Pennsylvania except they were able to eat together – in silence. Although there are different types of systems in place today, both...
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...Operations of the Judicial System ENG 122 July 22, 2013 Introduction: This paper is going to give a good insight into how American prisons have a disparity toward the minority population. Is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates? The Judicial System has a major affect about the way they look at Minorities and the crimes that they commit, but is the Judicial System just being racist about the differences if they commit a crime and if Americans commit them. The real question is what is the difference and why are our prisons having a disparity of minority inmates. American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population. Because the high rate of inmates, all individuals can commit the same crimes, and is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates. They say that minorities get treated differently because of the color of their skin and that can be true. They also say that the judicial system also treats those with different back grounds and different colored skin differently than Americans. Where does this come from? You still hear it in today’s society where an African American will get in trouble and all they have to say about it is that you are only doing this because I am black. The judicial system has a hard job to do when it comes determining punishments for crimes for crimes that are committed and putting individuals in prison for serious crimes...
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