How Does Thomas Treat Criminals

In today 's prison system of the United States, over 75% of the prisoners have the right to many luxuries while incarcerated instead of getting punished for the crimes committed. In fact, many inmates receive better health care than most people in the United States. Certainly, inmates have more luxuries than the citizens who work hard for them. With that in mind, inmates may consider jail better than the real world. No doubt inmates deserve treatment of an adult for the crimes they have committed. But also should get the punishment they deserve. In today 's world, inmates are not fully punished for the crimes committed.

How is it that prison reformers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries put such a big amount of effort into changing the way people were being punished. Without touching on the importance of racial disparities occurring during that specific time-period. Davis states “If the individual was not perceived as possessing inalienable rights and liberties, then the alienation of those rights and liberties by removal from society to a space tyrannically governed by the state would not have made sense.” (Davis 2003: 44). African Americans can be viewed as one of the greatest racially discriminated groups of people since the beginning of slavery. Many viewed slaves as unintelligent individuals that were nothing more than a piece of meat whose main purpose was to endure hard labor for no pay. This “airtight system of social control” (Burris & Burris 2011) is the foundation of oppression that has allowed our society to devalue the rights

Instead of this injustice of jailing, the Utopians choose to take slaves. The fate facing slaves in Utopia is to be "kept constantly at work, and are always fettered" (70). Considering the premise in Book I of the Polylerites' constant work, Utopian slavery sounds vaguely tolerable, aside from the fetters, and the fact that the Utopians do not need to work full days. The Utopians excuse slavery by claiming they "deal with their own people more harshly" because they had "the best of moral training" (70). In this case, the criminal is punished for moral delinquency in the form of slavery's high moral standing. But perhaps the most remarkable and revealing of justifications is that "A third class of slaves consists of hardworking penniless drudges from other nations who voluntarily choose to become slaves in Utopia" (71). The appeal here, beyond the hilarity, is the existence of a third class of slaves. Not only do Utopians believe in and use slavery, but also they take no issue with the concept of a class system: not only to have slaves, but to have classes thereof. With slavery considered voluntary for some, punishment for others, and simply the luck of the draw for the rest, it appears the Utopians cannot reach the rationality they claim to behold.

Traditionally, there have been four justifications for punishment: deterrence, confinement, rehabilitation and retribution. While these methods can be flawed at some point in history they served as primary reasons for the justification of punishment. Recently, there has been an epistemic shift in thinking about punishment where now it is focused on retribution and incarceration. The emphasis on this method has lead to an increase in incarceration and the rise of a prison system. While we acknowledge that there will always be a need for society to punish criminals in order to protect the rights of individuals, however a prison/prison system is not the correct way to handle such problems. Currently the prison system is being used an economic tool for private companies to exploit cheap labor from inmates. Known as the prison-industrial complex private enterprises are now able to build more prisons to “benefit” society and themselves as the prison population grows. Since the 1980’s the growth in prison

In the novel Native Son by Richard Wright, the protagonist engages in certain behavior that most would find socially and morally unacceptable. It is debatable whether Bigger Thomas was truly responsible for what he did, and throughout the novel, the ongoing dilemma is whether or not he deserves sympathy or not. Although some might argue Bigger is deserving of sympathy due to the environment where he grew up, he is not worthy of sympathetic treatment. His immoral actions throughout the novel are so unforgivable that he does not deserve sympathy. The way he treated his family, the murders he committed, how he feels about what he does, and some characters in the novel also going against him, all point to Bigger being a character not deserving of sympathy.

Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means

Understandably, the correlation between American slavery and mass incarceration might seem uncanny because prisoners are not owned by anyone else. However, slaves and prisoners experience a similar loss of liberties and possessions, which is the defining characteristic of enslavement. Locke’s distinction between unjustified and justified slavery helps to solidify the interrelationship between American slavery and present-day mass incarceration.

I think that the author dismisses prison abolitionists when in reality, in order to achieve what the Scandinavians have, we need to do exactly what the prison abolitionists are doing. We need to change our “pull yourself up from your bootstraps mentality” and strive for equity, inclusivity and accessibility. It is important to begin dramatic changes in our minds, our culture and ultimately our society. We need to look introspectively before we try to look outwards for

In Utopia by Thomas More, the main characters argued about the current problems England was facing during the Age of Discovery. Raphael, a philosopher and traveler, tells them of a perfect society, Utopia, where crime, poverty and other problems that England faced were not existent due to the way Utopian society and laws were structured. At the time in England, the act of thievery was punished by death and Raphael argues that “… it were much better to make such good provisions by which every man might be put in a method how to live, and so be preserved from the fatal necessity of stealing and of dying for it” (U). The way that England was structured almost encouraged its citizens to turn to thievery since childhood yet punished them for it later. Rather than eliminating crime, criminals are eliminated which doesn’t teach the people to stop committing crimes in the first place. Death as a punishment for crimes just encourages delinquents to keep committing more crimes. Since the structure of society is the culprit of the rise in crime, then providing enough money for people to live comfortably would decrease crime rates and aid in improving safety for the citizens of England. To contrast England’s situation, Raphael talked about Polylerits who dealt with thieves in an efficient manner that prevented further crimes. “Thieves are condemned to serve in the public works, but are neither imprisoned nor chained, unless there happens to be some extraordinary circumstance in their crimes. They go about loose and free, working for the public: if they are idle or backward to work they are whipped, but if they work hard they are well used and treated without any mark of reproach... vice is not only destroyed and men preserved, but they are treated in

Thomas tried to make up for the scandal by being a different kind of justice. He was the only justice who worked made an effort to know the names of everyone in the court from justices to cafeteria workers. “Despite his friendly demeanor, the Court employees saw how devastated he was by the confirmation battle.” (Tobin 42)

In Germany, escaping prison is not a crime. The law recognizes that it is basic human nature to desire freedom. However for slaves, they were never given an education allowing them to develop their human nature. They are taught only to submit and yield. “I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute (Douglass 74)!” Although Douglass had been educated at this point, he undergoes the most difficult time in his life as a slave when he lives with Mr. Covey. All his aspiration to learn and to be free diminished, and his comprehension of his condition began to fade. If not for his strong willed personality, he would have stayed like that and he would have faded back in with the other slaves, unaware of what he could have achieved. “The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance for themselves and their fellow-slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic. While on their way, they would make the dense old woods, for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness (29).” This is a prime example of their unawareness. To them, working in the Great House Farm is equivalent to a trip to Europe in modern day. They have been isolated from all pleasure, so they manage to find joy in things that are only slightly better than what they have. “The impression which I had received respecting the character and condition of the people of the north, I found to be

Throughout the course of history, humanity has searched for the perfect society. To many, this type of society is called a utopia. The word utopia is derived from a greek word that means “good place.” Despite all of humanity’s attempts to find this perfect society, they have still never found one, and probably never will. On the other hand, a dystopia is the complete opposite of a utopia.

used, prison sentences became the punishment for the worst criminals - and even so, the

In addition, his morality is unclear. It is ambiguous what would have happened if the Falcon was real and Spade would have decided not to go to the police. He would then have been a criminal himself. When Brigid asks him what he would have done, he responds: What difference does that make now?

One of the first critique found in Utopia relates to ongoing theft and the misuse of their punishment system. “For this manner of punishing thieves goes beyond justice, and brings no public benefit: as a penalty for theft