1: Crime and People

Disabled – disabled people will be very badly impacted by crime as they tend to isolate themselves from other people in the community. As they are isolated, they will not have anyone to talk to about the crime, so they may not even report the crime, or may even be too scared to report it, and again they may feel as if they are being targeted just because they have something different about them that they can’t change, and they may just suffer in silence and fear.

In today’s society, discrimination is an issue that is considered to be a thing of the past. In a country with such diversity it is hard to believe that people living in the “land of the free” face issues of racism. This paper will focus specifically on the social problem of mass incarceration of minority groups and how the criminal justice system targets these groups. Although this social problem can be linked to specifically African Americans, the impacts of mass incarceration can be felt by almost everyone. I have chosen three articles that focus on how the criminal justice system is masking mass imprisonment a major problem in minority communities.

Current trends show that incarceration numbers continue to grow higher each year. The United States rate of incarceration is the leading nation in rates of incarceration. Other countries have much lower percentages than the U.S. does. There a implications because of inmates reentering the prison system within three years after being released. In 1994 51.8% of inmates that had been released were back in the prison system (U.S. prison populations: Trends and implications, n.d.). Other implications

In any given year now, incarceration rates has tripled with approximately 13 million people introduced to American jails in any given year. This increase in the prison population far outpaced the crime rate and the US population growth. Today, America has around 5% of the world’s population but a quarter of the world’s prison population.

The U.S. prison system is one of many great controversies when compared to other correctional systems. America’s prison population has increased by 700% (2.4 million current inmates) since the start of the war on drugs in 1971. As a result of this “war”, people that fall into the racial minority have suffered as a direct consequence of unjust legislation. Our prison system is known for its overrepresentation of minorities such as Blacks and Hispanics. This unfortunately gives these groups of people a perennial negative stigma as a result. I argue that the U.S. prison industrial-complex emphatically displays signs of prejudice and racism and disproportionately incarcerates people of color at a rate higher than whites. Yes, there are skeptics who think “the left’s prison-complex” is wrong about their theory of mass incarceration but the statistical data and concrete facts in support of my argument are very compelling.

Human Rights Watch research shows that in every state, the proportion of blacks in prison exceeds, sometimes by a considerable amount, their proportion in the general population. In Minnesota and Iowa, blacks constitute a share of the prison population that is twelve times greater than their share of the state population. In eleven

While some individuals feel that exposure to an adult sanction will have a negative effect on the health of juveniles, the major crimes committed by these minors are the same as those committed by their surrounding adult inmates. The threat of adult incarceration will also repel juveniles from committing serious crimes. According to Professor Morgan Reynolds from Texas A&M University, “Between 1980 and 1993 juvenile crime rose alarmingly, and as the states toughened their approach during the 1990s, it declined just as steeply” (2005). In addition, incarceration lowers the chances of reoffending (Schneider cited by Reynolds, 2005). Enforcing laws that discourage juveniles from executing major crimes are effective in reducing crime rates and implementing public safety. Also, those that have already committed severe crimes are less likely to reoffend after exposure to adult sanction. Like Christopher Simmons, juveniles are aware of the crimes they are committing, and may even be proud of their actions. Regardless of the motive, teens committing major offenses should be placed in adult sanctions because their actions are no different than adult offenders. The intimidation of adult detention is successful in both deterring juvenile crime, and appropriately holds minors accountable for their severe offenses.

No other are the population of prisons rising, but as well as the people that are being incarcerated are rising too. Davis stated that “157,979 people [were] incarcerated

David Bruck, attorney, disagrees with Edward Koch, that the death penalty “affirms life” (1985). David Bruck uses the example of the execution of Joseph Carl Shaw (page 1)

Clang! The cell door slams shut. An ominous sound that has been heard by millions of people; more and more every day. In the United States, one in every one hundred forty people is currently incarcerated (Walmsley). Not many people have a concept of this rate. Is this normal? Certainly not. When compared to the rest of the world, the U.S “...has about five percent of the world’s population and houses around 25 percent of its prisoners” (Holland). Truly, it is quite astonishing that one country holds a quarter of the worlds prisoners. It was not always this way, so how did this come to be? The criminal justice system changed drastically around 1970s as the

It can also add to the problem too. Putting a child into prison without parole can sometimes make the child give up hope and feel that they don't need to change if they aren't ever getting a chance of getting out of prison. But, if the child is at least given parole it could give them a slight bit of hope and they might most likely change their ways. They could even be given a chance with therapy if they are given parole. According to Jody Kent Lavy, director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, majority of the youth offenders were exposed to trauma and violence as children and have the capacity to change. This change can be executed by giving these young people the help they

The effects of crime on victim can have a mixed feeling about making a victim impact statement. They may want to tell the judge or parole hearing officer how the crime affected their life and yet they may be anxious because you don't know how to prepare an impact statement or you don't want to bring back bad memories by describing how the crime has hurt you. The victim impact statements may include descriptions of:

Longman dictionary defines crime as “an offence that is punishable by law”. As BBC Bitesize 2017 describes, doing something wrong is different than committing a crime. For example lying is not considered as a crime but it is a wrong act that people carry out without getting punished. But why do people commit crime? Some criminologists believe that people commit crime because it is in their nature. It has been proved that some people are more likely to commit crime than others due to the circumstances that they grow up under. According to BBC Bitesize people with anger issues have a higher possibility of committing a crime. Generally poverty, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol are known as the main causes of crime all around the world.

The third argument is actually a reply to a claim made by some supporters of the death penalty. The claim is that the

Paucity compels numerous people to live under the approved standards that a person should live in. Lack of money to address the demands of people and households compels many of the members in the society into criminal behavior. It has been evidenced that criminal behavior has the likelihood of making quick, easy money yet it is clear that it comes at a price (William, 2017). Poverty stands as the greatest indicator of societal disparities and vulnerable populations; those who live in poverty experience poorer outcomes, including higher crime rates, decreased access to resources, higher incidence of alcohol and drug use, mental health concerns, and decreased sense of security and safety. It does not stand as poverty, alone, that leads to