Ruling out rape: understanding and ending the campus sexual assault epidemicPeachy Essay
Sexual assault is epidemic in the United States. Recent media
reports, public outrage, and activism have been focused on the
institutional settings in which these assaults occur. Colleges
and universities, as well as the military and athletic programs,
have come under increasing scrutiny as settings that not only fail to deter, but possibly foster rape.
Transgender Health : Findings From Two Needs Assessment Studies In PhiladelphiaSanté des trans
Transgender Health: Findings from Two Needs Assessment Studies in Philadelphia.
Il s'agit d'un article de Gretchen P. Kenagy, paru dans la revue Health and Social Work (volume: 30. Issue: 1) en 2005.
Il présente les résultats de deux enquêtes de recueil des besoins des trans en matière de santé à Philadelphie.
Transgender Identity And HIV : Resilience In The Face Of StigmaSanté des trans
Il s'agit d'un article de Walter Bockting, publié en 2008 dans Focus, une publication du AIDS Health Project, affilié à l'University of California, San Francisco.
Transgender Female Youth And Sex Work HIV Risk And A Comparison Of Life Facto...Santé des trans
( A I D S Behavior, 2009)
L'article examine les déterminants du risque d'acquisition du VIH par les jeunes femmes trans du fait de leurs "facteurs de vie", en particulier en regard leur statut par rapport au travail sexuel.
Transgender Clients : We Need Effective Care Too!Santé des trans
Il s'agit d'une présentation powerpoint de la Directrice du Center of excellence for transgender HIV prevention de l'UCSF, qui passe en revue l'ensemble des enjeux liés à l'épidémie de sida parmi les trans, ainsi que les déterminants de santé globaux. Date inconnue.
Plan de l'intervention
Getting on the Same Page:
Establishing a Common Language
What Are the Facts?
What is the HIV Prevalence among Trans People in the US?
Effects of Stigma & Discrimination on Trans Communities
What are the Barriers and Challenges?
What Are We Going To Do?
Addressing Transphobia
Action Steps & Recommendations
Where do we go for help?
Il s'agit d'une présentation powerpoint de la Directrice du Center Of Excellence For Transgender HIV Prevention,UCSF (2009)
Il y est question d'épidémiologie, bien évidemment, dans un contexte où n'existe aux Etats-Unis (comme en France) aucune donnée nationale sur le nombre de personnes trans, et donc encore moins sur le nombre de trans vivant avec le VIH. La présentation donne des pistes de recommandation concernant la production de données épidémiologiques spécifiques.
La présentation est également l'occasion de passer en revue les enjeux et déterminants de santé liés à l'épidémie de VIH chez les trans, et plus largement à leur état de santé.
Objectifs de l'épidémiologie du VIH chez les personnes trans :
- comprendre les tendances épidémiologiques en cours dans les populations transgenres ;
- comprendre les facteurs favorisant le risque de dissémination du VIH parmi les femmes transgenres
(déterminants négatifs) ;
- comprend les facteurs protecteurs contre les "facteurs négatifs du point de vue de la santé" (negative health outcomes) parmi les transgenres (déterminants positifs).
Jess Alder (Program Director, Start Strong, Boston Public Health Commission), Nicole Daley (Director of Evaluation and Engagement, One Love Foundation), and Emily F. Rothman, ScD (Professor, Boston University School of Public Health) delved into the topic of whether porn use is a public health problem and highlighted a curriculum they developed for teens to discuss porn, healthy relationships, and sexual violence.
Running Header CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS I.docxanhlodge
Running Header: CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 1
Critical Issues To Correctional Institutions in the U.S.
Name
CRJ 465
Instructor’s Name
Date
CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 2
There are many contemporary issues that are found within the American penal system.
Perhaps we are not fully aware of these issues and just how much they affect the American penal
system. Though we are aware that there are issues, we may not be completely aware of just how
much they affect the everyday functioning of the correctional systems. We are not fully aware of
the funding problems, or the overcrowding problems, or just how much violence takes place in
prisons. These three issues seem to be the worst of all the issues that these facilities face.
Funding
Correctional facilities, just like any other business, do not operate for free. Total state
expenditures on prisons and related activities were about $9.6 billion in the mid-1980’s, where
about 40 percent of all state prison construction was financed by a pay-as-you-go method, and 50
percent was paid by general obligation bonds, and the remaining 10 percent was financed using
lease revenue bonds and other revenue streams. By 1996, total state expenditures for prisons
were estimated to be $22 billion, and more than half of all the debt issued to finance prisons was
carried out through a specific variant of lease-revenue bonds which were called certificates of
participation (Public Bonds, 2004). According to the staff at Vera’s Center on Sentencing and
Corrections and Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit, after surveying 40 states in an effort to calculate the
taxpayer’s cost of prisons, the cost of prisons was $39 billion in 2010, which was $5.4 billion
more than what their corrections budgets reflected (VERA Institute of Justice, 2013). Over the
past 40 years, the U.S. has seen a dramatic increase in prison population, and as a result, the
country’s state prison population has grown by more than 700 percent since the 1970’s. This has
come at great cost to taxpayers (VERA Institute of Justice, 2013). At the end of 2012, the United
States prison population was 1,571,013, which is actually a decline for the third straight
CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 3
consecutive year. More plans are under way in an effort to lower the number of people who are
incarcerated in the U.S., which will help lower the cost of running these facilities as well.
America exceeds every other country in prison inmate population. Attorney General Eric Holder
announced sweeping plans that will be designed to address the issue through drug sentencing
reform and this means that low level drug offenders could be subjected to some type of treatment
or community service programs rather than prison time. There are also plans of implementing
and expanding prison programs that would a.
Ruling out rape: understanding and ending the campus sexual assault epidemicPeachy Essay
Sexual assault is epidemic in the United States. Recent media
reports, public outrage, and activism have been focused on the
institutional settings in which these assaults occur. Colleges
and universities, as well as the military and athletic programs,
have come under increasing scrutiny as settings that not only fail to deter, but possibly foster rape.
Transgender Health : Findings From Two Needs Assessment Studies In PhiladelphiaSanté des trans
Transgender Health: Findings from Two Needs Assessment Studies in Philadelphia.
Il s'agit d'un article de Gretchen P. Kenagy, paru dans la revue Health and Social Work (volume: 30. Issue: 1) en 2005.
Il présente les résultats de deux enquêtes de recueil des besoins des trans en matière de santé à Philadelphie.
Transgender Identity And HIV : Resilience In The Face Of StigmaSanté des trans
Il s'agit d'un article de Walter Bockting, publié en 2008 dans Focus, une publication du AIDS Health Project, affilié à l'University of California, San Francisco.
Transgender Female Youth And Sex Work HIV Risk And A Comparison Of Life Facto...Santé des trans
( A I D S Behavior, 2009)
L'article examine les déterminants du risque d'acquisition du VIH par les jeunes femmes trans du fait de leurs "facteurs de vie", en particulier en regard leur statut par rapport au travail sexuel.
Transgender Clients : We Need Effective Care Too!Santé des trans
Il s'agit d'une présentation powerpoint de la Directrice du Center of excellence for transgender HIV prevention de l'UCSF, qui passe en revue l'ensemble des enjeux liés à l'épidémie de sida parmi les trans, ainsi que les déterminants de santé globaux. Date inconnue.
Plan de l'intervention
Getting on the Same Page:
Establishing a Common Language
What Are the Facts?
What is the HIV Prevalence among Trans People in the US?
Effects of Stigma & Discrimination on Trans Communities
What are the Barriers and Challenges?
What Are We Going To Do?
Addressing Transphobia
Action Steps & Recommendations
Where do we go for help?
Il s'agit d'une présentation powerpoint de la Directrice du Center Of Excellence For Transgender HIV Prevention,UCSF (2009)
Il y est question d'épidémiologie, bien évidemment, dans un contexte où n'existe aux Etats-Unis (comme en France) aucune donnée nationale sur le nombre de personnes trans, et donc encore moins sur le nombre de trans vivant avec le VIH. La présentation donne des pistes de recommandation concernant la production de données épidémiologiques spécifiques.
La présentation est également l'occasion de passer en revue les enjeux et déterminants de santé liés à l'épidémie de VIH chez les trans, et plus largement à leur état de santé.
Objectifs de l'épidémiologie du VIH chez les personnes trans :
- comprendre les tendances épidémiologiques en cours dans les populations transgenres ;
- comprendre les facteurs favorisant le risque de dissémination du VIH parmi les femmes transgenres
(déterminants négatifs) ;
- comprend les facteurs protecteurs contre les "facteurs négatifs du point de vue de la santé" (negative health outcomes) parmi les transgenres (déterminants positifs).
Jess Alder (Program Director, Start Strong, Boston Public Health Commission), Nicole Daley (Director of Evaluation and Engagement, One Love Foundation), and Emily F. Rothman, ScD (Professor, Boston University School of Public Health) delved into the topic of whether porn use is a public health problem and highlighted a curriculum they developed for teens to discuss porn, healthy relationships, and sexual violence.
Running Header CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS I.docxanhlodge
Running Header: CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 1
Critical Issues To Correctional Institutions in the U.S.
Name
CRJ 465
Instructor’s Name
Date
CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 2
There are many contemporary issues that are found within the American penal system.
Perhaps we are not fully aware of these issues and just how much they affect the American penal
system. Though we are aware that there are issues, we may not be completely aware of just how
much they affect the everyday functioning of the correctional systems. We are not fully aware of
the funding problems, or the overcrowding problems, or just how much violence takes place in
prisons. These three issues seem to be the worst of all the issues that these facilities face.
Funding
Correctional facilities, just like any other business, do not operate for free. Total state
expenditures on prisons and related activities were about $9.6 billion in the mid-1980’s, where
about 40 percent of all state prison construction was financed by a pay-as-you-go method, and 50
percent was paid by general obligation bonds, and the remaining 10 percent was financed using
lease revenue bonds and other revenue streams. By 1996, total state expenditures for prisons
were estimated to be $22 billion, and more than half of all the debt issued to finance prisons was
carried out through a specific variant of lease-revenue bonds which were called certificates of
participation (Public Bonds, 2004). According to the staff at Vera’s Center on Sentencing and
Corrections and Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit, after surveying 40 states in an effort to calculate the
taxpayer’s cost of prisons, the cost of prisons was $39 billion in 2010, which was $5.4 billion
more than what their corrections budgets reflected (VERA Institute of Justice, 2013). Over the
past 40 years, the U.S. has seen a dramatic increase in prison population, and as a result, the
country’s state prison population has grown by more than 700 percent since the 1970’s. This has
come at great cost to taxpayers (VERA Institute of Justice, 2013). At the end of 2012, the United
States prison population was 1,571,013, which is actually a decline for the third straight
CRITICAL ISSUES TO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. 3
consecutive year. More plans are under way in an effort to lower the number of people who are
incarcerated in the U.S., which will help lower the cost of running these facilities as well.
America exceeds every other country in prison inmate population. Attorney General Eric Holder
announced sweeping plans that will be designed to address the issue through drug sentencing
reform and this means that low level drug offenders could be subjected to some type of treatment
or community service programs rather than prison time. There are also plans of implementing
and expanding prison programs that would a.
Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industri.docxendawalling
Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex
Amber Edwards
Sco 102
Instructor: Craig Allen
5/3/2020
Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex
The United States experienced stability in the rates of imprisonment from the year 1920 to early 1970s. However, that has changed over the past four decades considering that the rates of imprisonment have multiplied. Currently, the United Sates has over 2.2 million incarcerated adults which is by far the largest population globally. The rapid increase of incarceration in the US for the past four decades has prompted various critiques including the question as to why there is a large population of incarcerated citizens.
The aim of this paper is to argue on the ethical issues existing with the mass incarceration particularly the breaches that occur minus ethics. Also the paper will discuss the constitutes of ethical behaviour within the U.S system by using Utilitarianism, Ethical Egoism, Deontology which will shed light on the concerns of mass incarceration as well as the prison industrial complex.
Incarceration is among the most applicable strategies to handle social issues which act as an interference to the poor. Generally, the problems are joined together and defined as crime. The most targeted population in this case are people of color (Wagner & Sawyer, 2018). Some of the impacts of the increased rates of incarceration are homelessness, drug addiction, mental illnesses, unemployment and many more. Generally, prisons do not make the social issues or crimes go away rather, they make people disappear. The practice of making people disappear away from immigrants the poor as well as racially marginalized societies has currently become a business.
The increase in the rates of imprisonment is among the most systematic applied government social program in the contemporary world. However, issues such as criminalization, social profiling and mass imprisoning of people of color is the main challenge in the criminal justice system. Another ethical concern is making mass incarceration a source of income or rather a business. Prison privatization is also another ethical concern which is the capital’s contemporary movement in the prison industry. Generally, government run prisons are typically in gross violation particularly in international human rights standards making the private prisons less liable. Incarceration is nothing less than slavery considering that a large number if these inmates offer labor services to a country without a living wage, bargaining power of even labor protections. Generally, labor is the only thing the imprisoners can withhold.
The breaches of ethics in slavery, racial profiling and using incarceration for profiting purposes in the prison industry are too much. Among the ethical breach that is reflective is the health in the system. Both mental and physical health of the inmates is a primary concern considering that a large number of the inmates suffer.
The field of corrections, which will be the topic in this next set.docxtodd771
The field of corrections, which will be the topic in this next set of three chapters, encompasses county and state jails, prisons, community corrections, including probation and parole, and various correctional programs. Correctional professionals, like law enforcement and legal professionals, have a great deal of discretion and power over the lives of offenders.
As you may know, the United States has about 2.1 million people in jails and prisons. We incarcerate many more people per capita than other western, industrialized countries. At a rate of about 700 per 100,000, the United States incarcerates about seven times more people than Norway (72), France (98), or Canada (118) and a little less than five times more people than the United Kingdom (147) (Wagner and Walsh, 2016).
The reason our imprisonment rate is so much higher is not because of higher crime, but, because of our inclination to punish with incarceration rather than any other sentencing alternative (Raphael and Stoll, 2008). A careful analysis of sentencing patterns by Pfaff (2011) shows that the dramatic increase in
incarceration rates that began in the 1980s was largely due to the decision of prosecutors to seek prison terms for convicted individuals, and, to a lesser extent, increased sentence length and changes in parole release and revocation.
Further, we were roughly comparable to other countries in our punishment practices until the 1980s, at which time the incarceration rates increased dramatically every year. Recently, the rate and numbers in prison have plateaued, and many states, have even showed decreases in the number incarcerated (Kaeble and Glaze, 2016; Pollock, 2016). The number incarcerated in jail or prison decreased by 2.3 percent from 2014 and was its lowest level since 2004 (Kaeble and Glaze, 2016). Some states have created double-digit declines since 1999, including New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and California. Interestingly, states’ decrease or increase in the number of people imprisoned does not seem to show any correlation with whether the state’s crime rate has increased or decreased (Pew Research Center, 2016).
While the incarceration rate per 100,000 is 466 for white men, it is 1,130 for Hispanic men and an amazing 2,791 for black men. Women are incarcerated at a much lower rate: 51 per 100,000 white women are incarcerated, compared to 65 for Hispanic women and 113 per 100,000 for black women (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2015). At year-end 2015 an estimated 6,741,400 persons were supervised by U.S. adult correctional systems (prison, jail, probation, or parole). This is a decrease of about 115,600 persons from year-end 2014 and represents almost 3 percent of the total adult population. The interested reader can go to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (https://bjs.gov/) to see how imprisonment patterns have changed over the years.
It is important to emphasize that the imprisonment patterns we see are a function of individual discretion on the par.
Keynote Jeremy Travis Columbia speech 4.29.16seprogram
Solutions to Post-Incarceration Employment and Entrepreneurship: The Role of Businesses and Universities
Jeremy Travis, President
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Running head INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SYSTEM1.docxcowinhelen
Running head: INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SYSTEM 1
INEFFECTIVENESS OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SYSTEM 8
Ineffectiveness of the Capital Punishment System
Name
Introduction
Capital punishment is one of the major social issues affecting the sustenance of peace, democracy and mutual coexistence in the United States. Capital punishment is sometimes referred to as the death penalty and is largely recognized as a lawful sentence in 31 out of 50 states found in the United States. The Eighth Amendment constrains the application to disturbed killings submitted by rationally capable grown-ups. Historical analysis reveal that this mode of punishment began officially in 1776 after being authorized for identical law offences in the greater part of the American provinces preceding the country’s independence. This paper seeks to establish the ineffectiveness of the entire system and conclude by providing alternative solutions.
Problem Statement
According to Melusky and Pesto (2011), capital punishment in America is a broken procedure existing as a major social challenge. Currently, many opponents have risen to criticize and champion for the abolishment of the capital punishment due to its alleged ineffectiveness. These forms of punishments are anticipated not by the grievousness of the wrongdoing but rather by the low quality of the safeguard legal advisors, the race of the blamed or the casualty, and the district and state in which the wrongdoing happened.
On numerous occasions, research has shown that the criminal equity framework neglects to secure the poor and persons with genuine mental inabilities and ailments from execution (Melusky & Pesto, 2011). Indeed, even the organization of executions is totally defective: Every strategy for execution accompanies a heinously high danger of great agony and torment. Today, open backing for capital punishment is falling; the quantities of new capital punishments and executions are both quickly diminishing, it perhaps communicates the message that the time is ripe for America to end this fizzled test. It is, therefore, imperative to discuss the ineffective of capital punishment as a social issue in the United States.
Current Statistical Overview
Previous statistics reveal that thirty-five prisoners were executed last year in the U.S., and over 3,000 were on a death row. From 1976 to 2015, 1,392 executions happened in the United States, and 995 of them occurred in the South. Nonetheless, this deadly infusion has been the most widely recognized technique since the late 1970s. Thirty-four states have had executions since the death penalty was restored in 1976. Some of the states that took a lead role in the implementation of this awful law included Oklahoma, Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Virginia. Additionally, these states were accused to have executed the law with relative recurrence. However, Texas and Oklahoma led the charge, with the most executions, and the m ...
Running head INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SYSTEM1.docx
Final_Mass Incarceration
1. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 1
Mass Incarceration- A Major American Issue
Anna Fullerton
Justice 101
Southern New Hampshire University
2. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 2
Abstract
The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, and yet leads in the
number of individuals who are imprisoned. Over a quarter of those in prison in the world
reside within the United States prison system (Gottschalk, 2006). Over the past 50 years,
the penal system in America has grown from a just, balanced system into an unchecked,
wildly biased monster. This push towards mass incarceration has yielded among inmates
increased chances of reoffending, homelessness, reliance on welfare, drug and alcohol
abuse, and generational poverty. In order to cut the incredibly taxing cost of our current
prison system and enable our citizens to lead better lives, alternative methods must be
utilized for misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes.
Keywords: incarceration, imprisonment, penal system, alternatives to incarceration,
crime, reoffenders, poverty
3. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 3
Mass Incarceration- A Major American Issue
The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, and yet leads in
the number of individuals who are imprisoned. Over a quarter of those in prison in the
world reside within the United States prison system (Gottschalk, 2006). Over the past 50
years, the penal system in America has grown from a just, balanced system into an
unchecked, ludicrously biased monster. This push towards mass incarceration has yielded
among inmates increased chances of reoffending, homelessness, reliance on welfare, drug
and alcohol abuse, and generational poverty. In order to cut the incredibly taxing cost of
our current prison system and enable our citizens to lead better lives, alternative methods
must be utilized for misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes.
Many in today’s society do not expense much energy thinking about our prison
systems. Even if they are aware of the mass amount of our population we keep locked up,
there is a pervasive sense that it has always been this way and will continue to be this
way. However, America’s mass incarceration is a relatively new development. Up until
the mid 1970’s, The United States was matching its Western European counterparts in
prison populations, crime rates, and even in attitudes toward the death penalty (which
were showing decreasing popularity). Since then, the U.S. incarceration rate has
increased over five-fold and is now five to twelve times the rate of other Western
European countries, Australia, Japan, and Canada. Even if it weren’t bad enough that one
out of every fifty of our citizens are behind bars, but the imprisoned population is
comprised of over half African-Americans when they only make up a quarter of the US
population (Gottschalk, 2006). One out of three African-American males will spend time
4. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 4
in jail at some point in his life. Contrary to public opinion, seeing family members,
friends, and community members in prison is not proven to be a deterrent to crime. In
fact, studies have shown that children exposed to a parent or other family member who
has spent time locked up, have an increased chance of being imprisoned themselves
(Clear, 2007).
As we see upon closer inspection, this mass incarceration of US citizens is not only
damaging economically (thanks to the cost of housing and feeding 6 million prisoners
and the revenue lost with potential laborers behind bars), but also socially because of the
ripple effect on inmates and their families after their release. Adverse effects ex-inmates
face include poverty, homelessness, and difficulty finding jobs. (Western, 2002). There is
a positive correlation between homelessness and incarceration, especially when a mental
disorder is involved (Binder, McNiel, and Robinson, 2005). Incarceration also has been
linked to generational poverty and dependence on welfare, which in turn has been shown
to increase chances of imprisonment. Adversely, states with poor welfare systems tend to
have the largest and most populated prison systems (Beckett and Western, 2001).
Although correlation does not prove causation, the relationship does indicate that despite
what the public tends to believe, being on welfare does not actually increase crime rates.
The opposite actually could be argued as studies have shown that unemployment and
limited economic options for ex-inmates often leads them back into crime (Western
2002).
It becomes more and more clear that our current system is not working, but what are
the alternatives? Would the general public even support such a radical paradigm shift? In
June 2009, The National Council on Crime and Delinquency conducted a study to find
5. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 5
out just that. How does the American public really feel about our current penal system
and what changes, if any, would they like to see? Policy makers often advocate for
harsher laws and punishments, but according to the American public, lawmakers need to
start investing into rehabilitation, community service, and other alternative methods to
incarceration.
“Eight in ten (77%) adults believe the most appropriate sentence for nonviolent,
nonserious offenders* is supervised probation, restitution, community service,
and/or rehabilitative services; if an offender fails in these alternatives, then prison
or jail may be appropriate.
Over three-quarters (77%) believe alternatives to incarceration do not decrease
public safety.
More than half (55%) believe alternatives to prison or jail decrease costs to state
and local governments.
US adults more often think alternatives to incarceration are more effective than
prison or jail time at reducing recidivism (45% vs. 38%).
Respondents cited a variety of reasons they believe justify sending fewer people
to prison or jail, including expense, overcrowding (danger to guards, danger to
inmates), the ability of proven alternatives to reduce crime, and the fairness of the
punishment relative to the crime.”
(Hartney and Marchionna , 2009).
6. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 6
Alternative justice methods that have already been successfully implemented include
drug rehabilitation programs (Belenko and Lang, 1999), restorative justice programs,
which utilize new types of therapy such as victim-offender mediation (Bonta, Mcanoy,
Rooney, and Wallace-Capretta, 2010), and various methods such as community service
and monitored probation (Porter, 2000). The most popular type of alternative sentencing
(77.5% in favor), according to the National Council for Crime and Delinquency, includes
supervised probation, restitution, community service, and/or rehabilitative services for
nonviolent, nonsexual offenders. A mere 15% of those polled believed that keeping those
aforementioned offenders out of prisons would decrease public safety.
Over the fast forty years, even as crime rates have oscillated, incarceration rates have
risen at an astonishing rate. Many claim that the answer to the war on crime is increase in
arrests and jail time; however, there seems to be little data to back that up. Prisons get the
immediate threat off the street, but it is quickly replaced with someone else. The prison
system itself does not foster a rehabilitating atmosphere that releases inmates better than
when they arrived. Many times after release, inmates, who are often uneducated, have
trouble finding living-wage jobs, if they can find jobs at all with a record. Their fight with
poverty continues and, ultimately, many end up right back in the cycle of crime that they
came from. We need a better system. More and more studies are being published thanks
to organizations like the NCCD that show where the public opinion on the penal system
truly lies. The alternative options exist: house arrest, electric monitoring, drug court, day
reporting, outpatient treatment, restorative justice, community service, and rehabilitation.
We see the injustice of the system, the options alternatives available, and now we have to
choose whether or not to be silent.
7. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 7
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of
the oppressor.” –Desmond Tutu
8. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 8
References
Bonta, J., Wallace-Capretta, S., Rooney, J., & Mcanoy, K. (2002). An outcome
evaluation of a restorative justice alternative to incarceration. Contemporary
Justice Review, 5(4), 319-338.
Bottoms, A., Rex, S., & Robinson, G. (Eds.). (2013). Alternatives to prison. Routledge.
Clear, T. R. (2007). Imprisoning communities: How mass incarceration makes
disadvantaged neighborhoods worse. Oxford University Press.
Clear, T. R., Rose, D. R., & Ryder, J. A. (2001). Incarceration and the community: The
problem of removing and returning offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 47(3), 335-
351.
Frana, J. F., & Schroeder, R. D. (2008). Alternatives to incarceration. Justice Policy
Journal, 5(2), 1-32.
Freudenberg, N. (2002). Adverse effects of US jail and prison policies on the health and
well-being of women of color. American Journal of Public Health, 92(12), 1895-
1899.
Gottschalk, M. (2006). The prison and the gallows: The politics of mass incarceration in
America. Cambridge University Press.
9. Running head: MASS INCARCERATION- A MAJOR AMERICAN ISSUE 9
Koch, C., & Holden, M. (2015, January 7). The Overcriminalization of America.
Retrieved January 14, 2015, from
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/overcriminalization-of-
america-113991.html#ixzz3OLA0GMxy
Lang, M. A., & Belenko, S. (2000). Predicting retention in a residential drug treatment
alternative to prison program. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19(2), 145-
160.
McNiel, D. E., & Robinson, J. C. (2014). Incarceration associated with homelessness,
mental disorder, and co-occurring substance abuse.
Tonry, M. H. (Ed.). (2011). Why Punish? How Much?: A Reader on Punishment. Oxford
University Press.
Weissman, M. (2009). Aspiring to the Impracticable: Alternatives to Incarceration in the
Era of Mass Incarceration. NYU Rev. L. & Soc. Change, 33, 235.