Periods leading to the 1970's that created mass incarcerations The population of imprisonment of the American prisons greatly increased from 1970’s most of them being the blacks and their residential areas depict low standards of life. As of, Simon, (2014), the causes of incarcerations in the ninety seventies was as a result of the new directives which stated that vindictive sanctions was to be placed to the United States community if they do not arrest law breakers. Social factors such as unemployment and poor living standard increased imprisonment rate, during this period African Americans were mostly affected because politicians and law enforcing agencies believed that such group of people would commit crime frequently. The 1970s and 1980s …show more content…
In context to, Tonry, (2014), especially in California, this was for the reason that unlawful behaviors became a chief economical net to the masses. Various changes passed by the governing authority encompassed of sentencing laws which made numeral of African Americans to be imprisoned when alleged to have engaged in crime. The end result of this was the prison population increasing and thus more prisons were put in place. Individuals living in the southern states were most affected as they were imprisoned based on their races, status in the society and education level, minority groups were the most suspected criminals since their level of drug addiction was high hence making them to be the most disadvantaged. The period from 1985-1990 In reference to, Tonry, (2014), almost half a million prisoners increased, even though during this time noticeable decline in crime was distinguished. One of the aspects which contributed to this is the federal government discussions on ways to reduce the rate. The Period from
The prison system prior to 1973 was seen as an ineffective way of controlling crime, and Congress was starting to loosen up the drug laws; crime was declining quite tremendously, federal prisons were starting to close, and drugs were seen more as more
The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Alexander (2012) examines the Jim Crow practices post slavery and the correlation to the mass incarceration of African-American. The creation of Jim Crows laws were used as a tool to promote segregation among the minorities and white Americans. Alexander (2012) takes a look at Jim Crow laws and policies that were put into place to block the social progression of African-Americans from post-slavery to the civil rights movement.
In The New Jim Crow, civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander makes the case that the system of Jim Crow never died. It just took a new form in the shape of mass incarceration. Today, African American men are labelled “criminals” and stripped of their freedom, their voting rights, and their access to government programs. Alexander’s thesis is that we are currently living in a new Jim Crow era; the systemic oppression of slavery and segregation never actually went away, Alexander argues, but merely changed form.
Since the 1980s the prison population has grown by 800 percent. Many of the prisoners that got convicted and sent to jail was innocent of their crime but the jury finds them felonious and gave them a sentencing. In the 1980s people started adapting to the lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and also started a lot of violence “The origin of this unseemly record is in our panic about the explosion of addiction in the early 1980s. Alcohol, heroin and marijuana had already been wrecking lives, but a tipping point was passed when crack cocaine transformed addiction into a national catastrophe.”
In her book, The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander who was a civil rights lawyer and legal scholar, reveals many of America’s harsh truths regarding race within the criminal justice system. Though the Jim Crow laws have long been abolished, a new form has surfaced, a contemporary system of racial control through mass incarceration. In this book, mass incarceration not only refers to the criminal justice system, but also a bigger picture, which controls criminals both in and out of prison through laws, rules, policies and customs. The New Jim Crow that Alexander speaks of has redesigned the racial caste system, by putting millions of mainly blacks, as well as Hispanics and some whites, behind bars
African Americans have faced injustice and discrimination for centuries. One major problem blacks had to overcome was the institution of slavery. Slavery in the United States began in 1619 and ended in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th amendment. This declared that all forms of slavery or servitude be outlawed. Yet even after the conclusion of slavery, blacks had to face discrimination and prejudice until they were viewed as equal.
This law led to people being arrested crack being sentenced to much harsher punishments than those for cocaine. The people being for crack were predominately black and for cocaine predominately white. “Crack was largely a inner-city issue and crack was largely a suburban issue”(13th). After the war on drugs Bill Clinton became president, and pasted more to crack down harder on crime. One of them being mandatory minimums this didn’t let the judges decide the crimes.
Prison systems, jails, youth facilities and state as well as Immigration. Those are the numbers in the country that compares which we confirm that we are in the state of crisis. The ideal of mass incarceration is an issue, like one that has ceased to show signs of stopping any time soon, according to Criminologist Elliot Currie. After I review the textbook, I understand the rates of incarceration has been raised due to the period after World War II, it was not many because of low women in the 1977 and until today there are more increases since 2010, it was a lot of difference between in the past and present of both sexes. In fact, the amount people arrested Today Due to Their race, gender, or social standpoint, could be in direct correlation to The historical corruptness That was The foundation of This country for many years.
For decades the United States had a pretty stable prison population, but that changed in the 1970's from the rising concerns over crack cocaine and other drugs, resulting in huge increases in drug penalties; a move to mandatory minimum sentences; and the implementation of other tough-on-crime policies, such as "three-strikes" laws and policies to ensure prisoners served at least 85 percent of their sentences. These harsher sentencing law coupled with dramatic increase and drug penalties in the fear of crime, of and wanting to keep these menace to society in prison forever. Added up to a state and federal prison population of 1.5 million, up from 200,000 in 1973. These are some of the factors that lead up to mass
The amount of mass incarceration in the United States as reached an all time high over the years. Mass Incarceration is the incarceration of a person or race based off of them being different and can be identified as a trend among law enforcements. These tensions have reached a certain extent and has received the attention of American citizens and the nation’s government. The laws of the United States seems fair, however with the enforcement of these laws, specific groups are targeted and abused by them daily.
Further in the reading the inmate approaches two more doors and passes through the door labeled Democratic. Approaching two more doors labeled black and white he passes through the appropriate door once again. Subsequently, the man passes through the black door and he falls nine stories to the street. Symbolically, it shows how the color of your skin can determine the outcome of life behind bars and how the Democratic and Republican parties have played a great role in mass incarceration. African Americans, who are among the most populated race in American prisons, who suffer from drug addictions and do not receive adequate treatment for their substance abuse problems are among the many who return.
Crime, Law, Administration of Justice Professor: Kelly McGeever 04/25/18 Topic- Reflection on lock-in by John Pfaff Provide your reflection on the book and argument The justice system in America caused mass incarceration to become overpopulated from the 1970s to 2000. The reason being people were sentenced for more minor crimes which resulted in prisons to become overcrowded. Based on the book Lock In by John Pfaff, the three main reasons causing mass incarceration in America were; long sentences, war and drugs, and prosecutors.
From the genocides of different ethics, to freedom is taken away in minority nations. Angela Davis expresses her views on political aspects of hard punishment upon human beings Americas’ society. She composed many books supporting her idea on political activism. In chapter 9, “Freedom Is A Constant Struggle,” opens different viewpoints, as a results of a transition in today’s society, starting from the 1960’s to the age of Obama. In addition to the few minority groups, as she relates in this book, the similar of a constant struggle for freedom with in the different ethics groups.
The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for several reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. This literature review will discuss the ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system and how mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism has become a problem.