Incarceration Argumentative

Over the last thirty years, the prison population in the United States has increased more than seven-fold to over two million people, including vastly disproportionate numbers of minorities and people with little education. For some racial and educational groups, incarceration has become a depressingly regular experience, and prison culture and influence pervade their communities. Almost 60 percent of black male high school drop-outs in their early thirties have spent time in prison. In Punishment and Inequality in America, sociologist Bruce Western explores the recent era of mass incarceration and the serious social and economic consequences it has wrought.

The United States is the country that has most people incarcerated and the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world. This level of incarceration does not stem from abnormally high crime rates, but is more strongly linked to our nation’s sentencing practices and drug policies, both of which have been developed to be “tough on crime.” This and harsher stance is not as effective as approaches other nations use, which focus more on crime prevention and rehabilitation. The United States has the highest rate of incarceration at 716 prisoners per 100,000 people.

Rehabilitation in Prison Prison is one of the main sources of punishment as well as rehabilitation in the United States and began as penitentiaries designed to form a more perfect society but quickly became overcrowded, understaffed and dangerous places. The prison system of today fails to meet the needs of the current situation in the United States and requires the cooperation of the public, prison officials as well as the government to fix our broken prison system. Prisons in the United States are currently not focusing enough on rehabilitation and using outdated methods causing psychological trauma leading to a higher chance of criminals returning to a life of crime.

Under the guise of public safety, law enforcement law and sentencing policies became stringent and tough on crime during the war on drug era. The results only served to increase incarceration rates. According to U.S. Prison Population Trends in 1972 there were roughly 330,000 people in prison and jail (2016) and according to Criminal Justice Facts by 2013 that number had mushroomed to 2.2 million people (n.d.). It was also noted that most of the growth in the prisoner population occurred in vulnerable populations and a disproportionate number of whom were black or Latino.

This comment then defines prominent societal and criminal justice considerations as they relate to abused children who kill, and examines cases that move toward a more appropriate legal responses by remaining cognizant of these considerations in classifying offenses and imposing corresponding sentences. In conclusion, this argues that classifying parricidal killings as voluntary manslaughter acknowledges the criminal nature of both child abuse and homicide striking an appropriate balance among societal goals and theories of criminal justice. It then emphasizes that upon finding of guilt, whether by trial or plea, courts must fashion appropriate sentences that adequately and effective balance the competing interests of the child abuse-parricide

The first steps to the incarceration process are intake and booking. When rules and standards are unclear confusion sets in. Some staff members and inmates take advantage of lack of clarity by dominance in an oppressive manner and some will cower from responsibility’s and become victimized by the stronger. Intake and booking process is to have a safe and smooth operation of the jail. Mo matter how many times an inmate has been in custody the inmate has rights.

There are always at least two sides to every debate. Creation vs evolution, pro-life vs pro-choice, democrat vs republican, and pro-death penalty vs anti-death penalty are just a few of the topics that most people try to avoid in polite conversation. Fyodor Dostoevsky 's, Crime and Punishment, also raises a debate, but not in the same sense that other topics do. At the end of the novel, Dostoevsky includes an Epilogue. This Epilogue, though less than twenty pages long, sparks a debate about whether or not it is necessary.

In Europe prior to the 1600s and 1700s incarceration was mainly used as a means of detaining suspects and citizens for various reasons (Bohm & Haley, 2001). Citizens were incarcerated as a means to coerce payments, contain the spread of disease as well as to teach religious beliefs, in some cases, to change one’s beliefs. Suspects were incarcerated while awaiting trial, punishment, or death. Slaves were also incarcerated during this time as a form of punishment. Individuals endured punishments, that would be considered cruel and unusual in modern society, like being hanged, stoned, as well as beheaded just to list a few (Bohm & Haley, 2001).

Coming into this class for the second time, I already had a decent amount prior knowledge about many of the issues surrounding incarceration. I had learned much of this last year, and I was very much aware that I had a keen interest in the subject. However, I was (and am) still extremely eager to learn as much about this subject as I possibly could, and refresh and expand my knowledge.

Being involved in the criminal justice system conveys a negative social status. In these communities, even though the experience of incarceration is widespread, it is still stigmatizing, and incarceration is not discussed openly. Residents noted that the label “offender” becomes a master status and affects the lives of ex-offenders in many ways. For instance, ex-offenders find it difficult to get good jobs and housing.