Rhetorical Analysis Mortimer B. Zuckerman argues that we need to change the way our criminal justice system operates. He explains that there are more prisoners in a cell than the amount it was originally created for. Zuckerman also acknowledges the fact that incarceration rates are extremely high and that the vast majority of prisoners are nonviolent. The author believes that the way nonviolent criminals are dealt with today brings about negative consequences that could easily be avoided (Zuckerman). Zuckerman successfully convinces the reader that reform is needed in the criminal justice system by using several tactics such as eradicating common myths about incarceration, talking about the problem and solution while using logos, and appealing …show more content…
Zuckerman abolishes some of the myths that most people believe to get the reader to better understand his argument. He refutes the argument that prisons correct behavior by using the statistic that about 60% of people that have been released from prison will return (Zuckerman). It is important to refute preconceived thoughts in order to get the reader to accept new ideas. People tend to have an “if isn’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. After hearing this statistic, the reader can be made aware that the criminal justice system is broken. Zuckerman reveals the imperfections in the criminal justice system and allows for the audience to be more open to a different solution to the problem. Zuckerman uses this statistic to highlight the weaknesses in opposing arguments. Another argument Zukerman refutes is that putting everyone in prison is the best way to ensure safety. He contests this statement by saying that the prison environment makes them more harmful to society than when they went in, due to the many psychological …show more content…
Zuckerman uses the persuasive technique of logos to show the validity of his position. In order to convince the reader that reform is necessary, Zuckerman has to convince them that there is a problem to begin with. He says that the prison population has grown about 800% since the 1980s and nonviolent offenders account for 90% of those federal prisoners (Zuckerman). Because of these statistics, the reader gets a picture of what exactly the problem is. Many people, before reading this article, might not have been aware of the rapid increase of incarceration rates and the overcrowding issue. This appeals to the reader’s sense of logic by stating that the vast majority of them are nonviolent because it shows them that that is where the overcrowding issue resides. This gets the readers thinking that alternative ways of dealing with nonviolent offenders might be necessary to solving the issue in the criminal justice system. Zuckerman makes the reader understand that reforming the prison system is a reasonable solution to the many problems generated by non-violent offenders being imprisoned. Not only does the author make the reader aware of the issue, but he provides a logical solution for it. Zuckerman explains how the governor of Texas provided treatment for nonviolent offenders
Some people might think he is an expert of criminology because of the way he wrote the article. For this reason, it was easier for me to take his opinion more seriously. He understands the need to express himself in a manner that is easy to read and understand. By writing in this way, he can easily persuade someone to his point of view. Jacoby’s description of prison life was a very persuasive emotional appeal.
Over the past 40 years U.S. incarceration has grown at an extraordinary rate, with the United States’ prison population increasing from 320,000 inmates in 1980 to nearly 2.3 million inmates in 2013. The growth in prison population is in part due to society’s shift toward tough on crime policies including determinate sentencing, truth-in-sentencing laws, and mandatory minimums. These tough on crime policies resulted in more individuals committing less serious crimes being sentenced to serve time and longer prison sentences. The 1970s-1980s: The War on Drugs and Changes in Sentencing Policy Incarceration rates did rise above 140 persons imprisoned per 100,000 of the population until the mid 1970s.
Coupled with a lower-paid prison staff and less spending on educational programs, violence in private prisons is higher compared to public ones (Quandt 2014). Because of increased violence and fewer programs that help young minorities integrate back into society, a higher recidivism rate exists in private prisons. Hence, a transition back to public prisons that better emphasize programs useful towards younger convicts will keep more out of prison longer, strengthening communities and reducing the incredibly disproportionate number of racial minorities in the United States. Of course, no matter how good the policy, meaningful change only comes through public outcry to pressure their representatives in prioritizing the elimination of private prisons. To exterminate private prisons, the communication of the policy needs to be framed in a way that galvanizes the public to change their opinions on prisoners.
As hard as it is to admit, the American justice system is flawed. The documentary Broken on All Sides explores some of the problems the American justice system has. Some of these problems include mass incarceration in America and racial injustice. This documentary begins with the discussion of the drug war which led to a massive increase of incarnated citizens in America following this was the discussion of the brutality and discrimination African Americans face when it comes to the American justice system. While still bouncing off those two main topics, the documentary begins to discuss about what life is like inside jails/prions and the problems former felons deal with once released from prison.
Thesis: It is very important for the sake of Americans tax dollars that we change the way that prisons are run and increase the productivity of inmates so when they are released from jail they are ready to be a productive member in society and have the confidence to achieve new goals. Introduction: Day after day, millions of inmates sit in jail doing nothing productive with their lives. We are paying to house inmates that may not even have a good reason to be there. For example, drug offenders are being kept with murderers and other violent offenders.
In this day and age, There are five times as many people in jail as there were in the 1970s. Almost 5 percent of the population of the United States will go to prison at in point of their life. Conservatives believe that imprisonment reduces crime in two ways: it removes criminals from the public so they can not commit more crimes, and it also discourages people who would commit a crime as they consider the consequences. Unfortunately, neither of these outcomes have come to be true. In fact, mass incarceration and “tough on crime” laws have been extremely ineffective that instead of reducing crime, it increases it.
The criminal justice system may be more corrupt than the people who fill our prisons. It is amazing to see the many ways that certain parts of society actually benefit from the current system we support. This book,The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, by authors Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton, has open my eyes to a very corrupt idealism. They are very precise in their supporting examples as well by walking the reader through each step and analogy.
The book Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison, by Nell Bernstein is a compelling expose on the inherent evil of juvenile detention facilities. In her eye-opening account of the danger that lies within locking up this nation’s youth, Bernstein utilizes a plethora of rhetorical strategies to urge her audience to recognize and act on her claim. In writing this account on the heinousness of juvenile detention centers and why the system as a whole must be reformed, Bernstein uses personal cause and effect examples, studies and statistics, as well as concrete refutations to advocate the world for change. Bernstein starts her argument by providing readers with personal examples of the effects juvenile detention centers had on a handful of the kids she interviewed. Her first example briefly narrates how Jared, an adolescent many would
In 1972, former President Richard Nixon made his infamous statements regarding crime and drug abuse. In this speech, he declared a war on crime and drugs and intended to decrease the number of people using drugs and the amount of crimes that were committed. Since this declaration, incarceration rates in the U.S. have gone up by 500%, even though the amount of crime happening has gone down. One of the reasons why I feel our rates have risen, is because sometimes, we put people in jail when they don’t need to be there in the first place.
In the article, Unwinding Mass Incarceration by Stefan Lobuglio and Anne Piehl, they argue that unwinding the mass incarceration “well neither be cheap nor easy, and to be done responsibly will require a new infrastructure of coordinated community-based facilities and services that can meet evidence-based incarceration needs while also ensuring public safety.” Hence, their argument is clean-cut with evidence in the article to back up their argument of unwinding the mass incarceration. Similarly, a solid fill of a concluding statement upon the unwinding of the mass incarceration as stated in the article, “requires much more than stopping current practices or reversing course by mass commutations and early release programs.” Subsequently, from this article, there are numerous interesting key points, and perspective of unwinding the mass incarceration.
Goffman would explain how total institutions disrupt people's routines and who they are. PRison as a total institution reduces
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.
This preconceived notion could not be farther from the truth. In reality, these reform movements are idiotically placing a bandaid over the tremendous issue that the prison system is. An imbalance of reforms between women and men, unrestrained sexual abuse in women’s prisons, and tyrannical gender roles are just three of countless examples of how prison reform movements only create more misfortune and fail to provide any real solution to worsening prison conditions. Perhaps instead of conjuring up additional ideas on how to reform prisons, America’s so-called democratic society should agree upon abolishing prisons as a whole. This being said, it is crucial to identify ongoing issues in today’s society, understand how they contribute to unlawful behavior, and seek a solution.
Over 2 million people are currently being held in United States prisons, and while the U.S. may only hold 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of its prisoners. In the past few years, America’s prison system has fallen under public scrutiny for it’s rising incarceration rate and poor statistics. Many Americans have recently taken notice of the country’s disproportionate prisoner ratio, realized it’s the worst on the planet, and called for the immediate reformation of the failing system. The war on drugs and racial profiling are some of the largest concerns, and many people, some ordinary citizens and others important government figures, are attempting to bring change to one of the country 's lowest aspects.
Bastoy prison prioritizes rehabilitation as the primary strategy to reduce the risk of future murdering, rather than punish the murderers (Ugelvik & Dullum, 2012). This is because they believe that reducing the risk of reoffending is the most important things to do and if it is failed, what is the point of punishment. For Foucault, “the punishment were intended not to efface a crime, but to prevent its repetition.” Hence, Bastoy aims to instill the values of responsibility, trust, accountability and leadership. It is proven to be effective because the recidivism rates for Bastoy prison are just 16% compared to the rate in the U.S. which is 60% (Ugelvik & Dullum, 2012).