Prison System Problems

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There are many issues within the United States Prison System today. Two leading examples of what is wrong with the prison system is the high rate of incarceration and the unjust laws that help land people in our prisons. Unfortunately, over the years, there have been few attempts to repair these problems. Fortunately, there are several ways that we can address these issues. A major problem within the prison system is the high rate of incarceration. According to “Facts about the Prison System in the U.S”, sixty-six percent of released convicts will end up back in jail at some point in their life. One reason for this repeat rate is because the newly released convicts are unprepared for life outside of prison. For example, when paroled convicts …show more content…

A person’s social class plays a big role in determining who and for how long a convicted felon spends in prison. For example, a white kid from an influential family, convicted for the same crime as a kid from Projects may serve a fraction of the time in prison, simply because of his financial status. Another major issue within our current prison system is how illegal drugs are classified by the Justice Department and the level of punishment associated with these drugs. According to “Facts about the Prison System in the U.S,” how we classify illegal drugs and the punishment can be extremely unfair. For example, a person arrested with having five grams crack cocaine may receive the same charge or conviction as a person found with five hundred grams of powder cocaine. I believe, no matter how much or what type of cocaine you are caught with, the charge should be consistently applied. The bigger issue is with how the unfair and unjust laws are written. Many of today’s laws are written by people who are rich and they have little consideration for the people who will be affected by racially and culturally biased laws. Consequently, the people who are hit hardest by these laws are generally poor and minorities. In other words, African- Americans and minorities are discriminated against within the criminal justice system and the proof lies in the number of minorities incarcerated. For example, according to “Facts about the Prison System in the U.S,” African-Americans make up fourteen percent of the drug users within the United States; however, African-Americans make-up thirty-seven percent of the prison population, which has been convicted and sentenced to prison for using or having illegal drugs. This demonstrates that African-Americans are stereotyped as criminals, treated unequally, and much more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sent to

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