DISPARITIES IN PRISON POPULATIONS Although we would like to believe the world is not as racially charged in 2013 as it was in the 1960s, a look in our penal system would show that minorities are still arrested and incarcerated at a higher rate than whites. The United States has experienced a rise in its prison population over the last 40 years and our incarceration rate is nearly 5 times higher than any other country. Even though 13% of the US population are African American males, they make up 38%
3 million people incarcerated. The American war on crime has created a rise in prison population measuring the largest in the world. The “tough on crime”, “crack down on crime” and the “zero tolerance” policies all refer to policies that encourage punishment as a response to crime. The effects of these policies are filling our prisons and detention facilities at an alarming rate. The growth in prison population is largely due to tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s
Since the 1980s, the federal prison population of the US has grown from 24,640 to 214,149 (Population Statistics 1). This figure may appear miniscule given the fact that there are over 300 million people residing within the United States. However, this is just one figure of many; currently, the United States holds the largest prison population total out of any country at 2,217,000 (Prison Population Total 1). This major increase in incarceration is not the product of a higher crime rate, but due
Why Does Our Prison Population Continue to Grow in the United States? “It’s a stark fact that the United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet we have almost 25 percent of the world’s total prison population” (Lee). Why are the numbers so elevated? Compared to other countries, the United States has more prisoners per capita than even Russia or China. “An astonishing number of Americans—nearly one out of every one hundred adults—is behind bars in this country” (Ryan
decriminalization of all drugs on a principle of human rights, but the horror and frustration with which I voice this support is based on practicality. The most tangible effect of the unfortunately labeled "Drug War" in the United States is a prison population larger than Russia's and China's, and an inestimable death toll that rivals the number of American casualties from any given war, disease or catastrophe. Every indicator demonstrates that U.S. drug policy is irrational, which leaves us no
ethnicity, minority group membership is given by society. The most common minority groups are African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Women. African Americans Low status jobs In 1997 African Americans were considered 12.5% of the U.S. population and 64.7% of their race participated in the labor force. African Americans were also considered for 21.6% of all guards, 21.5% of all service occupation, cleaning, and building. Also 30.8% of all health service occupation (Macionis 1998). Less
that walks alongside those terrors. Violent crime and victim rights have become a major concern for most citizens in the United States of America. Statistics indicate a decline in violent crimes in our country and an increase in our national prison population. Released prisoners commit most violent crimes. Gun control legislation, reform programs, victim rights awareness, and other programs are abundant in our country, but do little to alleviate violent crime. In this paper I will try to present the
Disparity and Discrimination According to Webster’s Dictionary, the proper definition for discrimination is: 1 a : the act of discriminating b : the process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are responded to differently 2 : the quality or power of finely distinguishing 3 a : the act, practice, or an instance of discriminating categorically rather than individually b : prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment (Webster’s dictionary). Discrimination has been around
American prisons exhibit a trend of disparity of the minority inmate population. Disparity occurs most in the minority population due to high crime rates within their communities mainly because of social isolation and the way the judicial system operates. Why is it that minorities are most likely to be incarcerated? Is it because of the lack of education, poverty, social and economic isolation or is it because of racial profiling? Racial disparity in the criminal justice system is widespread and
Prison Literacy Programs "It costs the government half a million bucks to keep me in jail and $450 to teach me to read and write" (ex-con cited in Porporino and Robinson 1992, p. 92). The literacy demands of the workplace and society in general are growing in complexity, and recurring linked cycles of poverty and low literacy levels put some people at increasing disadvantage. The prison population includes disproportionate numbers of the poor; those released from prisons are often unable to find
Crime: The Price We Pay Today American correction facilities experience a crisis of epic proportions. United States prisons and jails house inmates in record numbers with no relief. This situation leads many to suggest that overcrowding in prisons constitutes an important issue facing American correction reform today. One way to deal with overcrowded prisons is to enforce the death penalty. According to David Davis, infliction of the death penalty for certain secular crimes, such as murder and
Home Confinement: An Alternative to Incarceration West Virginia state prisons have a maximum capacity of 2,154 inmates; currently they house 2,363 inmates, and more remain in City and County lockups to manage the overflow (West Virginia Blue Book). Home Confinement solves this problem. Reduction of the prison population should be reason enough to institute home confinement, but other reasons do exist. Would you like lower taxes? Home confinement costs much less than incarceration. Do you favor
Human Rights in Brazil The population in Brazil consists of 144 million people. Brazil is one of the fastest-growing nations in the Western Hemisphere. Its population is increasing at the rate of about 2 % a year. The constitution of Brazil gives the president tremendous powers. For example, the president may intervene in affairs of Brazil's states. The chief executive may even create new states from existing ones. Brazil has three main ethnic groups-whites, blacks, and people of mixed ancestry
The purpose of the prison system was meant to be a deterrent to crime, as a preventative measure and to those who have already committed crimes, it is supposed to keep them from coming back. Obviously this did not work, today there are overcrowded jails and courts that look to any other way to punish a criminal besides jail time. The other options do not work either, they have not reduced the prison population nor have they created a sort of fear of being punished that a tougher system might do(Faugeron
About eighteen to twenty percent of the world's population consists of people with disabilities; this is about 600 million people. Because of advanced medicine, those who are injured in major car accidents, war and who have chronic illnesses are living longer and with spinal injuries, head injuries and other impairments. There is a direct correlation between poverty and disability. It is more likely for a person with a disability to live in poverty; about 1.3 billion people with disabilities struggle
about 124,400 in 2010. It has increased by 282 percent. The number of elderly people in prison affects the United States in many ways. It has cost the United States billions of dollars to provide the medical treatment and housing that aging prisoners need. Older prisoners costs two to three times more than the younger offenders do (Metla). Different states and prisons consider a certain age old. Most prisons consider older person to be between the ages of 50 years old and 65 years old (Holman).
1987, the democracy in promoting outlawed sex identification during an ultrasound and amniocentesis came along to push out the population control. • In 1990, the minister of health and society Affairs stiffened penalties for doctors who caught aiding women in sex selection. o Undercover patient to catch doctor that do illicitly perform test. o Punish for one-year prison, 12,000 fines, and suspended their license as a doctor • In 1995, demographers projected that half of boys ages ten through fourteen
of the people that are homeless and Mexican immigrants. When they came to America, and they had nothing to sleep on so they decided to sleep on the street and work under the table to make a living. People are aware that this is happening and the populations of homeless people are growing slowly. It seems like they are just ignoring this situation.
Paradox of Prison-Based Economic Development in Rural America Introduction Whereas prison facilities were once viewed with aversion as threats to a community’s well-being, prisons today are the focus of competitive bids by rural communities desperate for economic stability. As non-metro economies deteriorated and prison populations exploded over the last two decades, rural America and prison facilities have developed a symbiotic relationship. This paper investigates whether prison-based economic
Trois-Rivieres is a place of cultural, economic, and physical diversity. Located in a country with a deep history, which is also growing into modern times, Trois-Rivieres shows its 375-year-old history by contributing to modern development. Economically, Trois-Rivieres has many resources, but the main economic resource is manufacturing which is always changing. In particular, the St. Lawrence River is connected to the three-armed delta that gave Trois-Rivieres its name. The natural vegetation is