Mass Incarceration Rhetorical Analysis

Mass Incarceration the New Jim Crow
Written by Patricia Kelly in January 1, 2015, “Mass Incarceration” is an article from Public Health Nursing journal which argues that mass incarceration in the United States, as a result of the “War on Drugs” has greatly impacted the lives of people of color. Additionally, Robert DeFina and Lance Hannon; professors at Villanova University, who are actively engaged in matters pertaining to criminal and social justice, vindicate racial control in the article, “Impact of mass incarceration on poverty” that was recorded in Sage journals. For the most part, these two sources use a combination of the rhetorical strategies; logos, ethos and pathos to argue that “War on Drugs” hopped up on federal funds and confisticated

By carrying out various studies exhibiting the correlation between poverty and incarceration of African American men, the skyrocketing headcount poverty rate within the minority neighbourhoods shows that racial delineation in the US. Granting both the authors wish to call out the prejudiced judicial system, the language used by Kelly depicts indignation better than DeFina and Hannon. Her references to sensitive cases like Garner and Brown, brings out an outpouring of emotions and a cry for criminal justice system

She begins by acknowledging the increased numbers of women in prison, “ Women’s incarceration rates have increased nearly twice the rate of men” (1). With a rise in the numbers of women in prison, it is not only the state of the economy that is at risk but also the emotional and the physical state of their families. Kelly taps into the emotions of her audience by inculpating the effect of disrupting the state of a family by incarcerating its breadwinners. She also mentions that almost 2 million children in the United States have a parent in jail or in prison (1). The torn relationships between children and their families brings about adverse effects and traumatic episodes that make it hard for them to fit in the society. By showing the elevated risks of separating families, she conveys an urgent tone that calls people to exercise justice to minimise the suffering of the children. DeFina and Hannon juxtaposes Kelly’s article by mentioning the effects of incarceration on the community around as well as the stigma associated with an incarcerated record. They appeal to the iniquity of the criminal justice system by admitting that mass incarceration has created an intensely disadvantaged segment of low-wage workers (565) which has made it hard for the ex-offenders to get a job and establish themselves in the