The Mass Incarceration Of The United States

The Mass Incarceration Of The United States
The mass incarceration in the United States, has grown hand in hand with the well–disguised scheme of racialized social control that worked similarly
to Jim Crow institutions. Howard Zinn describes social–economic structures that justified slavery, also prevented a class movement between poor
whites and slaves that would threaten the power of the elite. The birth of white privilege and segregation of African Americans aided in creating Jim
Crow policies and in the criminal justice and political spheres. American society is still systematized around preserving and safeguarding white
privilege. The uneven path America took toward emancipation, freedom and partial radical equality resulted in the failure to pay black soldiers
equally, the migration of freed blacks from southern states and the highly racist attitudes whites held toward blacks. Therefore "white privilege simply
confers dominance, gives permission to control, and blank check" to pass and implement laws that would benefit one group over the other". Through a
systematic approach reinforced by social stigma, ex–offenders are marginalized by society, media and deprived of access to a capitalist economy.
Ex–offenders are legally discriminated and denied the ability to obtain employment, housing and public benefits. A simple correlation appeared among
African Americans who were once forced into a "discriminated, second– class citizenship in the Jim Crow era". But in the period of colorblindness, it is
no longer
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Incarceration Of The United States
Incarceration has been a pending issue amongst western civilization's history for some time and today continues to raise a wide range of important
questions. Incarceration of individuals have become a tremendous tax payer concern along with the incarceration of the drug war, convictions of
street gangs, and the rest of the individuals who have broken the law and harmed other innocent individuals. However, the question is always a
concern of men incarceration and hardly addressed of women being incarcerated. Not to say that what men can do women can do better, but studies
have shown a drastic increase in women becoming incarcerated throughout a range of years. According to the National Conference of State
Legislatures research on Children Of Incarcerated Parents by Steve Christian, a study by national survey had reported in August 2008, that during
that time, the number of children with a mother in prison increased by 131 percent, from 63,900 to 147,400 (Christian, 2009). Society has always
drawn its focus on convicts constantly trying to pin a wrong on an individual's plate of life, but has never become curious to ask why an individual
has become incarcerated and whom it has affected. The drastic increase of women becoming incarcerated have come from numerous of backgrounds in
which their choices have led to affect their children as well as their children's development and in addition affected their own development.
Psychoanalyst Erik Erickson developed a very important

The Incarceration Of The United States
Have you ever question about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, "Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.
The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today" (15). Is United States is a modern country
that doesn't serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million of prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice
system is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisoners to be in prison. Our system is define by an error; which serve justice to the rich and injustice to
the poor. It's common to know that poor and color people are more likely to be convict if they commit a small crime. We created a system like "Three
strikes and you're out" to show how strong we can be, and as the result of that, we have created the mass incarceration that no other countries can't
do. We are no better than a beast. We condemned the poor because we know they are helpless and we condemned the color people because of racial
bias. What does justice really stand for? The justice should be change in order to prevent mass incarceration in the future and focus on a fairness when
it comes to trial. The justice system should be change before we convict another innocent people. In the Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,
written by Bryan, Stevenson points out that the United States is a country that serves an injustice to its people. Just Mercy is a nonfiction book

The United States of America is phrased by many, as being "the land of the free." Yet, the Unites States currently has the highest per capita prison
population than any other country. The United States makes up only 5% of the world's population and of that 5%, 25% of our overall nation's
population is currently incarcerated. A few factors that attribute to our high rates of incarceration include, sentencing laws: such as mandatory–
minimum sentencing, lack of initial deterrence from crime, the war on drugs and the presence of recidivism. With our ever growing incarceration rates
and the cost of housing individual offenders averaging $22,000 a criminal justice agenda. Recidivism refers to a person 's relapse into criminal behavior
resulting in rearrests, reconviction or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three–year period following the prisoner 's release
(National Institute of Justice.) Many programs have been implemented in our prison system to help reduce the recidivism rates. Programs such as
educational/ vocational programming, reentry programs, substance abuse programs and subsidized employment are among many programs in which
have been proven effective. Yet, due to costs deficits, the clock is ticking to find evidence based programs to invest in. So, the question currently being
sought after is, which method is most effective in reducing recidivism rates?
In the United States the justice system and prison system play various, but overall

The United States of America has more people incarcerated than any other country on earth, a whopping 2,220,300 adults are currently locked behind
bars. We have 500,000 more citizens locked up than China, a country 5 times our population run by an authoritarian government. From 1990– 2000 the
prison population increased by 1,000,000. The main reason for incarceration as a punishment in this country is rehabilitation, or so we have been told.
In recent years an industry has developed that revolves around high incarceration rates and lengthy sentences, needless to say business is booming. The
for–profit prison industry now makes millions off the backs of American inmates their families and every American taxpayer. The two largest... Show
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For–profit prisons benefit from the strict enforcement of laws and lengthy sentences. These corporations are not interested in rehabilitating inmates
they are more concerned with keeping their beds full and making a buck off inmates and their families. Anything else could be bad for business. This
outlook runs counter to what should be a rehabilitative mission of the nation's criminal justice system. Instead, private prison contracts often require the
government to keep the correctional facilities and immigration detention centers full, forcing communities to continuously funnel people into the prison
system, even if actual crime rates are falling. Nearly two–thirds of private prison contracts mandate that state and local governments maintain a certain
occupancy rate – usually 90 percent – or require taxpayers to pay for empty beds.
With all the money these corporations bring in much is spent to influence politics with hefty campaign contributions and corporate lobbying in
Washington. All of this is business to them, helping individuals that will push their agenda get into high places politically is just the tip of the iceberg.
28 states now have something called the "three strikes or habitual offender laws" These laws make it possible to send anyone to prison for life on their
third felony charge regardless of the circumstances. They need to make sure convictions rates stay sky high to keep the commodities coming. CCA
inmates had time

The Incarceration Of The United States Of America
Preamble: Whereas at this time, many of the incarcerated men, women, and children of our great nation are not sufficiently educated to be employed
by the various corporations in the United States of America. To further develop the potential workforce of America, these incarcerated peoples should
become proficient in the reading and writing of the English language. This in turn will help reduce the tax rates of the Federal Bureau of Prisons by
lessening the amount of people imprisoned. According to the article Educated Prisoners are Less Likely to Return to Prison found in the Journal of
Correctional Education, the prisoners who undergo an educational program during their incarceration are far less likely to return than prisoners who
did not received any education during their confinement. In the state of Ohio, the total rate of recidivism (an inmate 's relapse back into criminal
behavior after they received sanctions or underwent an intervention for a previous crime) was 40 percent while the prisoners who had completed an
academic program during imprisonment had an overall rate of 18 percent. When the recidivism rate is lowered, these aforementioned correctional
education programs produce hundreds of millions of dollars worth of savings annually for the country. Additionally, the education of the incarcerated
peoples of America will increase the national literacy rate and promote the general welfare of the country.
Section 1: In order to determine the skill level of the

There are over two million people in the United States behind bars. Incarceration in the US is one of the main forms of punishment that leads nothing
after for people when getting out. Every state, city, country, all have laws we citizens obey and go by to do best for our country, but what happens
someone violates the law? According to Google's definition of a felony, it says that felony means, "a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded
as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death". Getting caught by the law, being
arrested, doing time in jail makes you automatically a felon once your name is in the system. What's promised after being in jail is something no one
should experience. With this in mind, people's human rights are being taken away from the minute their hands and arms are behind in cuffs. For this
reason, what our human rights mean is, "The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the
rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial,freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression" ( Houghton Mifflin).
In effect, the 318 million of people in the US all have rights that were all born with to allow us to do, to be, or to have anything. Our rights protect not
only us but the people who are surrounded by us. For example, our rights protect us from any harm, danger, and trouble coming from anyone. As anyone

Mass Incarceration In The United States
Question 1
The author, Peter Enns, of "The Public's Increasing Punitiveness and Its Influence on Mass Incarceration in the United States" is investigating whether
the publics rising amounts punitiveness explains the significant rise in incarceration rates in the United States. Also, the author explores the importance
of public influence and congressional hearing in relation to mass incarceration of individuals in the United States.
Question 2 Public attitudes toward crime affect increases in incarceration rates in numerous ways including: The affect the public has on United States
politicians and other elites. The elites and politicians follow, not influence public opinion. Most politicians wear a "Thomas Hobbes" hat and are only
concerned ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
According to the author there are many ways the country has an effect on incarceration rates such as: stability of the economy, military struggles, and
environmental concerns (Enns 2014, 860). Enns relates this by saying, "during a recession, even if the public were becoming more punitive, we might
expect that the percentage of individuals ranking crime as the most important problem would decrease as individuals shifted toward identifying the
economy as their top concern" (Enns 2014, 860). The author is correct because during hardships, the public's attitude changes toward the bigger
problem. When the public is complaining less about incarceration and more about the fact that they economy is crashing, the politicians get less heat
for bills about criminality being passed and more about trying to fix the government. A society naturally goes through ups and downs, and people just
like something to complain or argue about, which leads to changes in things such as punitiveness toward incarceration

Wrongful Incarceration Of The United States
Front–Line and Predisposing Contributors to Wrongful Incarceration
The United States prides itself on having robust, deeply entrenched measures implemented across its core agencies, including the police and criminal
justice system, to safeguard against wrongfully convicting people who, after further reflection, are factually found to be innocent. As citizens, we have
been educated to trust, among other things, that our systems protect the notions that one is innocent until proven guilty and that prosecution must
prove any charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Yet, wrongful convictions are more prevalent than we might think. In particular, the publicity of
hundreds of cases over the last few decades has put a spotlight on this indisputable ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Throughout the chain of events involved in the identification of a suspect, wrongful incarcerations occur as a result of various unintentional errors,
flaws and abuses made by the key government agencies that each have a stake in this process.
The police serve as the initial point of contact for crimes, generally speaking, because they operate on the front lines. Even if we assume that the police
do not catch the criminal red–handed, in their duty to promote public safety, the police will typically be responsible for following a set of pre–trial,
investigative procedures that aim to yield identification of the perpetrator. Their main function in pursuit of this goal is to find out what happened
overall by determining all facts and collecting all information relevant to the case. Most commonly, the police will rely upon eyewitness identification
and testimony as the primary means to identify suspects. For instance, eyewitnesses can be brought to a local police department and led into a room,
where a photo lineup of possible suspects takes place (O'Connor, 2010).
However, historically, there have been numerous flaws in how law enforcement officials tend to handle these interactions. These arise repeatedly while
administering lineups because of various, unintentional missteps taken by either a police officer or a detective. As an example, in a photo lineup, the
administrator merely knowing some small, yet key pieces of

The Role Of Mass Incarceration In The United States
The United States is said to be the largest jailers in the world. Holding roughly 5% of the world's population, the U.S. alone holds about 25% of the
world's total prison population (Lee, 2015). As the class has learned repeatedly in senior seminar, the prison population in the U.S. is overwhelmed and
overcrowded. The class has also learned that the War on Drugs is a huge contributing factor for the increase of mass incarceration, but is that the only
contributing factor? My theory to the mass incarceration rates in the United States is correlated with racial profiling. Nearly 2.3 million people are
incarcerated in the U.S., of that population; 1 million are African Americans alone and one in six black men have been incarcerated since 2001

There are over 2million people incarcerated today in the United States and Statistics show that the rates every year is increasing . Millions of dollars
are being spent on these institutions(private institutions , correctional facilities etc.) that provide nothing other a punitive excessive amount of time.
Most of those incarcerated return back to jail, sometimes even for the same offense . What does that mean for the United States that mean that there
will be and increase in the amount of dollars spent every year along with and increase amount of those being incarcerated . The United States need to
provide the appropriate rehabilitation in order to prevent those incarcerated from becoming... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When asked how did he feel when he was sentenced to and additional 10 years ? He responded and said " I felt crushed inside I felt like my life was
over , I was angry at my self for allowing my self to become so angry. I knew that that would be something that would become a reputation for who
I would now become. I didn't want to live that life I sold drugs because I wanted to survive that was a stupid choice but I couldn't get a job as quick
as I wanted and my life was already going downstream . I Seen fast money in selling drugs I thought I could do it and I wasn't hurting nobody and I
could survive and make fast money as long as I didn't get Caught" . He then continue on saying " Mentally I knew it was going to be a hard time
for me I don't know how I got that knife , I mean I knew it was giving to me but I don't know how the other guy got it and while I was laying on that
floor getting stab it

The Incarceration Levels Of The United States
The United States (US) incarcerates its citizens at the highest rate in the world, 707 US citizens per 100,000 are incarcerated, a rate 5 –10 times higher
than other western democracies (National Research Council, 2014). From the 1930s to the 1970s the number of incarcerated citizens in the US
remained relatively stable, 161 citizens per 100,00 were incarcerated in 1972 (Hindelang, 1977). However since the 1970s the population of
America's prison system has increased by 700% (ACLU, 2011), and there are now currently over 2.2 million incarcerated Americans. Because of
this rapid increase to an unprecedented level US incarceration levels have been widely discussed across academic literature. Not only are current US
incarceration levels internationally unique and unprecedented, they are unique and unprecedented within the history of the US itself. This makes the
US incarceration levels best suited to a single case analysis, as there is a high level of internal historical change to compare across. It is widely
accepted that the rise in US incarceration levels are due to 'the war on drugs' – tough on crime law enforcement strategies introduced in the 1970s to
combat illegal drug activity. However, there are differing theories as to how these historic policies continue to impact incarceration levels today. In this
essay I will argue that the war on drugs is one of many mechanisms employed to continually discriminate against the black minority in America. I will
analyse

The Causes Of Prison Incarceration In The United States
The U.S. incarcerates 716 people for every 100,000 residents, more than any other country. In fact, our rate of incarceration is more than five times
higher than most of the countries in the world, resulting in the United States of American having incarceration rate far higher than any other country.
The total number of prisoners held under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2015 (1,526,800) decreased by
35,500 (down more than 2%) from the previous year. Researchers have studied different trends and causes of prison overcrowding; one that's
'prevalent is racial disparities towards minorities. Though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately 32% of the US population, they
comprised 56% of all incarcerated people in 2015. African Americans and whites use drugs at similar rates, but the imprisonment rate of African
Americans for drug charges is almost 6 times that of whites. Prison overcrowding is caused by several different of issues, such as enough dorm room
in prisons, crime rates changing rapidly, amendments to laws and new improvements to law enforcement tactics. Overcrowding in prisons causes
many problems, which is why it is a serious concern in the U.S. Once the causes of crowding have been established, researchers can begin to address
the problems it causes and deal with them. According to Vera.org/priceofprisons, TheUnited States spends over $80 billion on incarceration each year.
Being a Florida native, my

Currently the United States holds the leading position for having the largest prison population in the world. Considering this, the cost of
re–incarcerating offenders after their release remains notably high to U.S Americans and our society. Recidivism is known as the reimprisonment of an
individual that is released from prison but then later returns for being convicted of a new crime. However, there is essential data that proves the drastic
reduction in recidivism through academic and vocational studies. Each year, it cost twice as much to provide a room and food for inmates than it
would just to educate these prisoners.
As many people know, there is no right to education in the constitution. In despite of this, there are many institutions in the United States that promote
and encourage schooling and other educational programs. Since a constitutional right does not exist, it is considered a privilege to gain basic
educational training or even higher learning. When considering education a privilege, the adequacy of and attainability to educational programs for
many depleted Americans remains scanty. In result, prison education becomes a matter left in the hands of prison administrators.
The availability of and the accessibility to educational and vocational programs in prison have been challenged by inmates– or representatives– in
copious suits based on constitutional grounds. In addition, there have also been challenges that concern the shortage of these programs.

Mass Incarceration In The United States
Mass incarceration is a barrier effecting many minorities and communities. The growth in incarceration rates in the United States over the past 40 years
is historically reoccurring. According to statistics the war on drugs is the number one drive into our prisons. It took a toll on how diligently police
enforcement do their jobs, communities, citizens and our 14th amendment rights which addresses equal protection under the law to all citizens, the
amendment also addresses what is called "due process", which prevents citizens from being illegally deprived of life, liberty, or property. Marijuana and
Narcotics are the most common drug when it comes to distributing and possession. Drug use and abuse is an expensive problem in the United States,
both financially and socially. Another factor that contribute to mass incarnation rates... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Also of course American statistics on law enforcement proves racism is even present in the state itself not just in civil society, which would be bad
enough on its own. Most of the information that was presented at this panel I already was aware of this but one thing they brought to my attention
was what effect does the mass incarceration have on families and communities? It plays a tremendous role, because raises new forms of bias and
racism by further separating people racially. Also, many children are raised in one parent homes because they have a parent currently in the system so
what is that teaching them when they don't have the guidance to not become a statistic because delinquency as being prominent in the social world as
well as prisons is contributing to a majority of black youth in inner–city neighborhoods having criminal records. This impacts their school work, record,
and community because the environment we are exposed to its easy to take on a mindset and adopt to the things you see such as violence and drug

The Incarceration System Of The United States
Indeed, once upon a time the incarceration system was set in place with two firm duties: retribution and rehabilitation. When did these institutions, once
considered virtuous and just, become the hallmark of inequality? On September 27th, 2015, Pope Francis remarked on a visit to a Philadelphia jail "It
is painful when we see prison systems, which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities," a moving sentiment that
would soon resonate with the American population. Unbeknownst to many listening to his gripping words, в…“ of the world 's female prison
population is incarcerated in the United States. And if the magnitude of that figure does not astound you, maybe the fact that every 1 in 15 American
prisoners are black, while only 1 in 106 prisoners are white, will. These statistics reported by Harper's Index embody the blatant corruption of the
American incarceration system and the innate institutionalized racism the U.S has sustained throughout history. Since the inception of the United
States, the government has had one definitive purpose: to protect the people's rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These prerogatives
established a framework for the optimal democratic society, one that would be impartial and benevolent. However, the entire non–white population is
barred from sharing in these rights. One of the major ways these rights are denied is through incarceration. A look at our high rates of imprisonment
might,

Mass Incarceration : The United States
Mass Incarceration is a huge problem in United States culture. No other country in the world incarcerates its population the way that America does.
"The U.S. incarcerates more people than any country in the world – both per capita and in terms of total people behind bars. The U.S. has less than 5
percent of the world's population, yet it has almost 25 percent of the world's incarcerated population." Worse yet the majority of the incarcerated
individuals belong to a minority group despite not participating in illegal activity any more frequently than their white counterparts. Is the United States
criminal justice system racist and if so what is the cause behind this racism. After the end of slavery, many southern black Americans traveled to the
north to escape endless violence and discrimination. In the south they could only find low paying field jobs whereas in the northern cities there
were steady factory jobs promised as well as the hope that discrimination could be escaped. The northerners while against slavery were not
egalitarian and were not in favor of hoards of black Americans surging into their cities and taking jobs away from the white working poor. The need
for social control by white Americans only grew with the population of black Americans living in the cities and working in the factories. The rhetoric
of "law and order" first came about in the late 1950s as white opposition to the Civil Rights Movement was encouraged by southern governors and law
enforcement.

The Incarceration Rate Of The United States
Incarceration rates in the United States, and closer to home – in Ohio, have been rising at astonishing rates over the last 20 years. Rising incarceration
rates stem from increased sentencing of non–violent crimes, little attention to rehabilitation within most prison walls, and extremely high recidivism
rates. The problem of the increasing prison population touches many areas of our society – from reduced workforce to increased state funding for
prisons to the adverse effects on children growing up in single–parent households – but has received little public or political attention. Looking at this
issue from a social capital standpoint it is important to understand that "social capital keeps bad things from happening to good kids" and then
applying this to communities with many families affected by having a member in the penal system (Putnam 296). The rate of recidivism is also
increasingly high and an area that must be addressed to move forward in a productive way to ending this problem. When looking at data provided by
Ohio's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the current penal population is almost 50,000 individuals (49,789 as of 11/13/2012) (DRC). The
average cost of keeping a non–violent offender in prison is approximately $26,000 per year (CEPR). Calculations based on these estimates show that
incarceration is costing Ohio approximately $1.3 billion each year. With such a financial burden on Ohio, it is time that this issue was taken seriously
and actively

When the term corrections is mentioned, the thought of incarceration is the first to come to mind. This is the case for as of the end of 2013, there were
1,574,700 people serving time in state and federal penitentiaries (Carson, 2014, p.1). This alarming number gives reason for the need of alternatives to
incarceration. Avoiding imprisonment does not translate to a lenient punitive sentence for the alternatives can just as easily repair harms to the victims,
provide benefits to the community, treat the drug addicted, and rehabilitate offenders (FAMM, 2013, p.1). The use of programs that offer an alternative
to incarceration can reduce the amount of people in the prison system that is living on taxpayers' dollars. The enlistment in the military is a viable
option as an alternative to incarceration. The goal of rehabilitation is a change in the behavior of the convict and the enlistment of said individual offers
just that in more ways than one. The sociology theory of the life course roughly translates to that over a course of life, one abandons its old ways of
life in order to adopt to a new way of life or a social structure (Shepard, 2013, p.95). In total institutions, where one is completely removed from
society such as military boot camps or prisons, the individual's self–concept begins to facture by the replacement of their personal identities with
concepts of shared identities such as wearing uniforms or the use of serial numbers instead of names. Once the self–concept

The Incarceration System During The United States
Our incarceration system once pursued two firm yet opposing goals: retribution and rehabilitation. The Age of Enlightenment spurred an influx of
imprisonment ideologies that soon congealed into a justifiable approach towards criminals. Jails, workhouses, and prisons aimed to reintegrate
lawbreakers back into society but not before they were punished. The precarious balance between such contradictory motives unfortunately proved
impossible. When did this system, once considered virtuous and just, become the hallmark of inequality? On September 27th, 2015, Pope Francis
reflected upon this fact during a visit to a Philadelphia jail, "It is painful when we see prison systems, which are not concerned to care for wounds, to
soothe pain, to offer new possibilities." This moving sentiment resonated with the American population, the majority failing to realize that one third of
the world 's female prison population is incarcerated in the United States. If the magnitude of that figure does not astound you, maybe the fact that
every 1 in 15 American prisoners are black, while only 1 in 106 prisoners are white, will. These statistics, reported by Harper's Index, quantify the
blatant corruption of the American incarceration system and the institutionalized racism America has sustained throughout it's short life in places where
we may not have suspected. Since the inception of the United States, the government has had one definitive purpose: to protect the people's rights to life,

Legislation and Incarceration in United States
Legislation and Incarceration
(Order #A2068178) The incarceration rate in the United States has steadily risen since 1973, and Franklin Zimring has examined the relationship
between penal legislation and the incarceration rate. He has discovered three distinct periods which demonstrate three differences in the way legislation
effects penal practices. During the first period in which there was a major rise in incarceration rates, 1973–1985, Zimring asserted that there was no
relationship between penal legislation and the increase in incarceration rates. However, in the second period, from 1985–1993, the government's "War
on Drugs," and the subsequent legislation designed to increase sentences for drug–related activities, there was a distinct relationship between penal
legislation and incarceration rates. But in the final period, 1993–2002, Zimring concluded that penal legislation has not only had an influence on
incarceration rates, but that this influence has demonstrably increased. In other words, over the last generation, the influence that penal legislation
plays on incarceration rates has increased from practically nothing into a major influence. Because the United States has fifty individual states, each
proscribed by the Constitution to be responsible for its own criminal justice system, there are a large number of individual legal jurisdictions. And this
many jurisdictions would lead many to believe that there is not a uniform set of principles that guides

Since 2002, The United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world, and many of those imprisoned within the U.S. will be released and
rearrested within three years (Langan & Levin, 2002). Unfortunately, research has been mixed shown that the time spent in prison does not successfully
rehabilitate most inmates, and the majority of criminals return to a life of crime almost immediately. Most experts believe that many prisoners will
learn more and better ways to commit crimes while they are locked up with fellow convicts. There is a combination of programs and environmental
conditions that impact the recidivism rates. The majority of prisons exist to protect the public and punish the offender (French & Gendreau, 2006;
Langan &... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
His policies caused the growth of a massive corrections system that currently houses an estimated 2.2 million inmates. Since the 1970's federal and state
correction agencies have consistently struggled to meet the increased demands brought on by the US Department of Justice and strict drug laws; this in
turn created the opportunity for Corrections Corporation of America to form, the largest private prison network in the United States (Godard, T 2015).
With the precedent it set with the first private detention center, CCA changed the face of US corrections for good. The private sector became the
quick fix to the problem of overcrowded and understaffed public prisons.
The penal system in the United States is often portrayed as being tough on crime, but to many other western nations the penal system in the United
States is viewed as a broken system (Mallory, 2006). While this is a tough critique, the American incarceration rate is the highest in the world at over
714 per 100,000 U.S. citizens (Walmsley, 2008). This rate is much higher than many of other western European countries, whose average incarceration
rate is only 95 per 100,000 citizens (Stern, 2002; Walmsley, 2008). America's higher rate of incarceration might be more acceptable if it resulted in a
safer society. Consequently, one could reasonably conclude that the United States' political agenda for increasing punishment to decrease crime yields
an ineffective result. Therefore, in the

in recent decades, violent crimes in the United States of America have been on a steady decline, however, the number of people in the United States
under some form of correctional control is reaching towering heights and reaching record proportions. In the last thirty years, the incarceration rates in
the United States has skyrocketed; the numbers roughly quadrupled from around five hundred thousand to more than 2 million people. (NAACP)In a
speech on criminal justice at Columbia University, Hillary Clinton notes that, "It's a stark fact that the United States has less than five percent of the
world's population, yet we have almost 25 percent of the world's total prison population. The numbers today are much higher than they were 30, 40
years ago, despite the fact that crime is at historic lows." (washington post) How could this be? Are Americans more prone to criminal activity than
the rest of the world? How could they be more prone to criminal activity if crime rates have been dropping? Numbers like that should be cause for
concern, because if crime rates are dropping then it is only logical for one to expect the number of incarceration to go down as well; unfortunately,
the opposite is true. Shockingly, there seem to be a few people who actually profits from keeping people in jails. The practice of mass incarceration
who most see as a major problem in the United States of America is actually beneficial to some. The prison system in the United States who was create
to

Incarceration Of The United States Prisons
The United States prison population has expanded at an increasingly rapid rate over that past several decades. Each day, more and more criminal
offenders are sent to prisons; most of which were designed to house fewer inmates but are now packed to their limits. This "mass– incarceration era" as
many scholars and commentators of the Criminal Justice System call it, is a result of several key issues that have created an environment within the
correctional system that forces many inmates to serve longer prison sentences while increasing recidivism rates. Current federal and state sentencing
policies have resulted in historically high rates of offender recidivism and the highest incarceration rates in the world (Warren, 2007). As a result,
prison population and overcrowding has rapidly increased and has become a serious issue across the country however, a reform in sentencing policies,
more early–release incentives, and reintegration back into society through rehabilitation will help reduce recidivism and prevent the continuing rise of
prison populations. (change once paper is complete) The United States houses the largest prison population of the world at 25 percent and returns the
greatest amount of inmates back into society. Currently, there are over two million people incarcerated in the U.S. with approximately the same
number of inmates being released each year (Haney, 2015 p. 416). Many people wonder why prison overcrowding has become such a big issue when
there is an

Issues Felons Face when Reintegrated with Society
Incarceration has been the primary means of punishment for criminals who have been convicted of felony offenses. While prisoners are serving the
term of incarceration they face many difficult situations. Some of these situations can include committing new crimes within the system which could
lead to prolonging the current sentencing. Those who are able to make parole after meeting the requirements set in place by the court are faced with
new difficulties when trying to reintegrate in society. While inmates complete sentences ordered by the court, they have the opportunity to take
advantage of Federal Aid including continued education, job skill training, employment opportunities and support programs. These programs are
designed to lessen the struggle offenders' face as they reintegrate into society by offering a positive direction upon their release. The overall goal is to
achieve a reduction in the rate of recidivism.
While in prison, criminals are given the opportunity to continue education as many inmates do not have basic, grade school, education. Lack of
education prevents most released offenders from gaining regular employment and earning high enough wage to prevent them from relapsing back into
crime. Inmates in Florida prisons tested at a median grade level of 6.9, with 64 percent scoring less than ninth–grade literacy skills, according to the
Florida Department of Corrections 2006–07 Population Report

Have you ever questioned about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, "Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.
The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today" (15). United States is a modern country that
doesn't serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice system
is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisoners to be in prison. Our system is defined by an error; which serve justice to the rich and injustice to the
poor. It's common to know that poor and color people are more likely to be convicted if they commit a small crime. We created a system like "Three
strikes and you're out" to show how strong we can be, and as the result of that, we have created the mass incarceration that no other countries can't
do. We are no better than a beast. We condemned the poor because we know they are helpless and we condemned the color people because of racial
bias. What does justice really stand for? The justice should be changed in order to prevent mass incarceration in the future and focus on a fairness
when it comes to trial. The justice system should be changed before we convict another innocent person. In the Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and
Redemption, written by Bryan, Stevenson points out that the United States is a country that serves an injustice to its people. Just Mercy is a nonfiction
book

Incarceration Within The United States
Kyle Yahn Mrs. Pond AP Language 25 April 2016 Incarceration within the United States Incarceration is the state in which a person is confined within
a prison, this can be known as imprisonment. Imprisonment within the United States is mostly due to the illegal use of drugs. Drug Offenses are the
most common cause of incarceration, an astounding forty–six percent, compared to the second most common causes. These causes include the illegal
handling, and usage of weapons, explosives, and arson; these Offenses only hold a lightly rounded total of seventeen percent. The list of Offenses
continuing from there decrease in percentage rates, the list contains the following in order from greatest to least amount of cases; Immigration, Sex
Offenses, Extortion, Fraud, Bribery, Burglary, Larceny, Property Offenses, Robbery, Homicide, Aggravated Assault, and Kidnapping Offenses,
Miscellaneous, Courts or Corrections, Banking and Insurance, Counterfeit, Embezzlement, Continuing Criminal Enterprise, then National Security
Risks. Ages of those incarcerated have a range from the beginning of adolescence to the elderly. The security system of prisons is separated into five
main categories; Minimum, Low, Medium, High, and Unclassified. Minimum and low–security levels are for common offenses such as theft. Medium
and high classifications are for homicide and national security risks. Unclassified is for those who have not yet been assigned an area of security. The
main force of inmates are

Mass Incarceration Of The United States
In the U.S. there has been a rise in incarcerations, the numbers today are much higher than they were 30, 40 years ago despite the fact that crime is
at historic lows. So what are we to make of the leap in time typically served for crimes in America's society? Either the justice system was too lenient
in the past, or the justice system is too strict now. Have we just now realized the real gravity of murder, or are we now overreacting? The United States
currently over–incarcerates its citizens, prisoners have become part of the economy, manufacturing and assembling products for major corporations.
Based on the research, it would be unethical to continue a trend of mass incarceration when the conditions are unsustainable, inhumane, and the product
of unethical polices.
In the world because some crimes are more severe than others, human beings decided that deprivation of liberty was the best form of punishment. The
idea was to make prison a system for corrections, rather than detention alone. These ideas soon manifested in schools of philosophy and criminology
were the notion was defended that punishment should be more lenient only at the cost of the greater good and aimed to change the behavior itself.
Eventually these ideas gave birth to a new form of incarcerations designed to deter both rise in crime and to reform, based on self–reflection over the
prisoner's choices. Well then why are the incarcerations in the United States so high one might ask? In the United States

When the word America is mentioned many people get a vision. Majority of people see it as the land of the free and where many opportunities await.
In many eyes, our nation (America) is viewed as being number one, all around the board. That, I can say is true but when it comes to the incarceration
of its citizens, it's not so free after all. According to Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia (2009), "the United States has the highest documented
incarceration rate, and total documented prison population in the world. As of year–end 2007, a record 7.2 million people were behind bars, on
probation, or on parole. Of the total, 2.3 million were incarcerated. More than 1 in 100 American adults were incarcerated at the start of 2008. The
People's Republic of China ranks second with 1.5 million, while having four times the population, thus having only about 18% per the U.S.
incarceration rate." (1) Also, "in 2002, 93.2% of the prisoners were male. About 10.4% of all black males in the United States between the ages 25
and 29 were sentenced and in prison, compared to 2.4% of Hispanic males, and 1.3% of white males." (2) When reading theses statistics, I didn't know
if I was mad, or if I was just really in awe. The number of African American males in prison is astounding. I feel that without a doubt, blacks are no
more criminal than anyone else in our society. Yet, it is as if blacks are more familiar with the criminal justice system than anyone else. It is almost as if

Incarceration In The United States
It is now a commonly acknowledged fact that the United States incarcerates too many of its citizens and locks them up for too long.
Since the 1970's the American incarceration rate has increased by a factor of 7. The United States holds the majority of the world's prisoners. "The
land of the free" is home to 5% of the world's population, but contains 25% of its prisoners. People are also being held in jail for longer. Although
most crimes are committed by young men, the number of US prisoners over age of 50 has increased by 330% since 1994.
According to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 3.2% of the population is either in jail, or under some
form of correctional control (probation, parole, et cetera). Holding so many people behind bars isn't cheap; it requires an annual budget of $80 million
dollars. The high incarceration rates aren't totally unjustified though; 54% of state prisoners are locked up for violent felonies. Even if all inmates who
were in a United States prison for murder or rape were to be released, the United States would still have a higher incarceration rate than Germany. ...
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The president is clearly ardent in his resolve to find a solution to this costly problem. While some benefits of prison reform, such as the reduction of
taxes, can be easily expressed in numbers, others are less palpable. Barack Obama spoke of the crumbling up of families. "Around one million fathers
are behind bars. One in nine African American kids has a parent in

Incarceration In The United States
Why do you think the United States incarcerates so many more people than other countries? First it is important to acknowledge the fact that the US
does not just incarcerates many people but the number of people US prison's is actually the highest in the world. So what cause such a great number
of people to go to prison?
1. Though justice system in the 1970's and the 1980's– during the time, criminal activities in America reached all–time high levels. Many citizens were
concerned about what was happening and the issues become politicized. Leaders who got into power supported tough laws against crime. The
legislation of very though laws including minimum sentence; some misdemeanors turned to become cases of felony with long prison sentences.

Incarceration Of The United States Essay
"Even though the United States makes up just 5% of the world's population, it houses 25% of the world's prison population" (Walmsley, 2009). The
United States prides itself in being a worldwide leader in just about every category; however, being the world leader in incarceration rights might not be
something the United States would be proud about. Incarceration rates in the United States have grown at alarming rates in the past forty years
specifically and it has resulted in major overcrowding issues in nearly every prison and jail within the country. Although it is evident that incarceration
is a major problem within our country the issues with incarceration do not end at just overcrowding. It is clear and evident through statistical data and
research that incarceration does not affect everyone the same.
The incarceration rates of minorities are much higher than that of white Americans within the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics minorities make up 37% of the general population but nearly 70% of the prison population. The high number of minorities in the prison
system can be directly attributed to the fact that minorities often face harsher sentencing more specifically the African American population tends to
receive the harshest of sentences. "At the federal level, black drug offenders received harsher punishments than similarly situated whites, even while
taking socioeconomic status, offense severity, criminal history, plea agreements, and

Alternatives to Mass Incarceration
Once upon a time, Americans could proudly say that America was the land of freedom and opportunity. As the Pledge of Allegiance states, "One nation
under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." However, under the current criminal justice system, more and more people lose their liberties
because of the crimes they have committed. According to Roy Walmsley, a consultant of the United Nations and Associate of the International Center
for prison studies, "In October 2013, the incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world, at 716 per 100,000 of the
national population. While the United States represent about 4.4 percent of the world 's population, it houses ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In his chapter on "Assessing the Prison Experiment," he explained that the increase of crime rate is not the sole reason that mass incarceration occurs,
and it was also because the courts and the legislature did indeed became "tougher" on offenders (Currie 14). Currie discussed the circumstances of the
war on drugs, which was launched by President Richard Nixon. He indicates that the incarceration rate and sentence longevity were increased
dramatically since the beginning of the war on drugs. Some of these offenders were given a sentence for more than ten years without the possibility of
parole, which is taking away any chance of the prisoner being released before the completion of his or her sentence. Locking people up is a failed
attempt to descend the crime rate, and the adoption of mandatory minimum sentencing law is the root of mass incarceration. The government should
reconsider the current sentencing laws and reform the correctional system in order to solve the current mass incarceration problem. Furthermore,
establishing more community–based programs for youth offenders and initiating early release programs are excellent alternatives to resolve the issue of
mass incarceration from both long–term and short–term perspectives, respectively. If mass incarceration is a cancer of society, mandatory minimum
sentencing laws are the tumors that exacerbate society's condition. These mandatory minimum sentencing laws require a certain length of prison time if

The Role Of Incarceration In The United States
Prison is a facility used to punish those who have committed a crime or detain those who are awaiting trial, it is a building in which people are
legally held. The main purpose of imprisonment is to reform, deter and eliminate a threat from society. Marxists see the government as a way for
bourgeoisie to maintain their powerful position in society. Althusser argues that the state consists of two elements: the repressive state apparatus (RSA)
and the ideological state apparatus. (ISA) Both apparatuses are used to maintain the bourgeoisie in power. The repressive state apparatus uses force;
this can be seen through the use of the law enforcement or prisons to maintain power whilst the ideological state apparatus is used by influencing the
way people think.... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Wacquant in this case argues that punishment and incarceration are central to the organization ofcapitalism today as todays form of capitalism is
neoliberal, this means companies are looking for the cheapest workforce. With unemployment rates rising there has been an increase in incarceration.
In this essay, I will be demonstrating how the criminological imagination shifts over history, geography and culture by exploring the question does
imprisonment benefit capitalism or not?
Rates of imprisonment in the United States has had a steady uprising between 1920 – 1975. The Great Depression was one of the worst incidents
America faced as it led to the highest prison rate of 2 million, although the Great Depression had a negative effect upon the prison rate, there were
other factors that led to its increase. For example, the increase of support towards the black community. "The expansions of the penal state after the
mid 1970s was both dramatically accelerated and decisively twisted by the revolt and involutive collapse of the dark ghetto." (Wacquant: 2009: 14)
Although

The Pros And Cons Of Incarceration In The United States
America loves to be number one, but sometimes being number one isn't good thing. The most problematic chart that America tops is that of
incarceration rate. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, 693 out of every 100,000 people in the United States are incarcerated. For perspective,
out of all the founding members of NATO, the United Kingdom is in second place behind the US with an incarceration rate of 145 per 100,000
people. The US doesn't just hold the lead, she's lapping her peers in Western society. This startling statistic is the result of decades of bad policy
throughout all levels of government.
The rate of incarceration in the United States is the product of a perfect storm of poor decisions on what to do with criminals. The "war

Alternatives to Mass Incarceration
Once upon a time, Americans could proudly say that America was the land of freedom and opportunity. As the Pledge of Allegiance states, "One nation
under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." However, under the current criminal justice system, more and more people lose their liberties
because of the crimes they have committed. According to Roy Walmsley, a consultant of the United Nations and Associate of the International Center
for prison studies, "In October 2013, the incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world, at 716 per 100,000 of the
national population. While the United States represent about 4.4 percent of the world 's population, it houses around 22 percent of the world 's
prisoners." These people are not only prisoners, but they are also parents, sons, and daughters – the loved ones of families. The number of people that
have been incarcerated also represents the number of families that have been shattered.
Mass incarceration has been a huge social problem since the 1980s; it came hand in hand with the war on drugs. Elliott Currie, a professor of
criminology and law, suggests that building more prisons, imposing longer sentences, and applying harsh punishments will not lower the incarceration
rate. In his chapter on "Assessing the Prison Experiment," he explained that the increase of crime rate is not the sole reason that mass incarceration
occurs, and it was also because courts

Overview
The United States has the highest prison population in the world, with over two million incarcerated (World Prison Brief, 2016), of whom many are
juveniles. It is well documented that youths who enter this system are more likely to suffer a host of negative health and lifestyle outcomes, such as
alcohol/drug abuse, high school dropout, and mental health problems. Such phenomena occur in stark contrast with the aims of the US juvenile justice
system, which supposedly intends to help offending youths re–assimilate back into society as productive citizens. As previously mentioned,
incarceration often leads to poor mental health, which when combined with the conditions of confinement significantly raises the rates of suicide and ...
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Adolescents sentenced within the US juvenile justice system have especially high rates of recidivism (when compared with their adult counterparts),
with male juveniles incarcerated at a rate five times higher than females (Sickmund et al., 2015). African–Americans are an especially vulnerable
demographic within this group. In numbers similar to the adult incarcerated population, youths of color are found in disproportionate numbers in every
step of the US juvenile justice system, with African–American youths confined at nearly five times the rate of their white peers (The Annie E. Casey
Foundation, 2013). Additionally, number of prior offences is an important factor, as first–time offenders are much less likely to re–offend than those
with previous offences (Harrison et al., 2001). Gang–related activity and offenses were avoided for the purpose of this study, as gang–affiliation has an
effect on the juveniles' responses to the "positive peer pressure" of Teen Court programs. It is important to note, however, that for juveniles, previous
incarceration acts as an even greater risk factor for future incarceration than gang membership (Holman & Ziedenberg, 2006). It is important to note
that only participants who completed the program were included in the analysis. Research shows that of those who participate in Teen Court programs,
those who complete their sentence are significantly

Incarceration Of Americ The United States
Incarceration in America
The United States has the largest prison population in the world. The U.S.'s path to our over population has been decades in the making. "The United
States makes up about 4 percent of the world's population, and it accounts for 22 percent of the world's prison population." (Lopez). Prison over
population is a growing concern within our society creating and contributing factors include longer sentences, rising costs, prison gangs, rapes, racism
and mental health issues.
As the crime rate in America increases the amount of convictions increase. There are many reasons and a wide range of factors why people within our
society commit crimes which leads to incarceration. "Reasons for committing a crime include greed, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Many prisoners cannot read or write above elementary school levels. The most common crimes committed by these inmates are robbery, burglary,
automobile theft, drug trafficking, and shoplifting. Because of their poor educational backgrounds, their employment histories consist of mostly low
wage jobs with frequent periods of unemployment. People must make a choice between long–term low income and the prospect of profitable crime.
Gaining further education, of course, is another option, but classes can be expensive and time consuming. While education can provide the chance to
get a better job, it does not always prevent crimes from being committed.0
Easy access to handguns is another factor many criminologists consider key to making a life of crime easier. Many firearms used in crimes are stolen
or purchased illegally (bought on what is called the "black market"). Firearms provide a simple means of committing a crime while allowing offenders
some distance or detachment from their victims. By the beginning of the twenty–first century firearm use was the eighth leading cause of death in the
world. Similarly, the increased availability of free information on the Internet also makes it easy to commit certain kinds of crime. Web sites provide
instructions on how to make bombs and buy poisons. Easy access, however, will not be the primary factor in a person 's decision to commit a crime.
Other

The United States Incarceration System
The United States incarceration system is a structural foundation of punishment in which is formed by robust authoritarian power. The United States
criminal justice system is not an institution to be underestimated, as it represents the highest incarceration rate of all world nations at a staggering 700
inmates per 100 thousand citizens (Krisberg, 7). Based on the social and political structure of democracy in the United States, it is argued that
incarceration systems should follow the same roots of equality and freedom; however, the current format demonstrates otherwise. Currently, the United
States criminal justice system faces issues of inhumane treatment due to the sheer overcrowding, which restrict inmates from just treatment within
penitentiaries. This lack of equality standards was argued in the 2011 court case, Brown v. Plata, which Californiaprison systems were forced to
decrease prisons overcapacity rate from 175% to 137.5% due to the overwhelming amount of inmate mistreatment (Koehler, 3). In the decision of
Brown v. Plata (2011), supreme court justice Anthony Kennedy argued dignity should be an organizing principle in the United States justice system
and demonstrated in all correctional facilities. Anthony Kennedy, along with guest lecturer, Jonathan Simon characterize dignity as a fundamental
piece to the incarceration system, and without it, inmates are victimized to cruel and inhumane treatment. Dignity does not consist of domination and
unequal treatment of

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