Slavery and Mass Incarceration

Prisons consist of social structures just as general society does. There is the upper class, which consists of the rich and powerful. The rich can pay off guards and other prisoners who may cause problems for them, and gang leaders whose reputation scares other inmates extremely that they are not challenged nor denied requests. “…and if everybody knows that gangs control the fate of all inmates, then criminals will be afraid to cross gang members there” (Wood). Gangs can control whether you live or die in a prison. Being a leader of a gang will put you at the top, being in the middle consists of being part of a gang or associates of a gang. The very bottom or the lowest consists of new inmates (who have not had time to move up yet or exploit

But systems of power may fail for other reasons as well. Those who are in charge may not be willing to exert their power. There may be some corruption among the custodians. Custodians are in close proximity to the prisoners so there may be some blackmail involved in not taking action when supposed to. “In the second place, the guard’s position as a strict enforcer of the rules is undermined by the fact that he finds it almost impossible to avoid the claims of reciprocity” (Sykes, 1958, 56). Third reason is the constant infringement of the guards’ dominance by prisoners. Some of the inadequacies of prison officials have been said to be linked to the fact more than fifty percent of the guards are temporary employees. There is also the low salary for the guards. The job is not seen as very glamorous or worthwhile as well (Sykes,

In my experience of reading the text, Behind a Convicts Eyes, I have learned many things about prison life. It has in fact changed my perception of what I thought prison life was like. Prison is in fact a fight for survival, and the weaker inmates will be used and abused by the stronger population. To clarify what I mean, many of the weaker prisoners are sometimes expected to pay for protection from other inmates, or they join prison gangs to be safe. According to the text, it would appear that the inmates actually have more control over their existence than I would have thought that they do. When I use this term, I mean it in the sense that the inmates use the system to their advantage, or at

The 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont, presents a complex and brutal prison environment for both its guards and inmates. Andy Dufresne, an inmate who is wrongly convicted of murder, is faced with several facets of the grim and isolated nature of Shawshank penitentiary. Throughout the film, several correctional concepts are illustrated that present inimitable challenges for both Dufresne as well as other inmates in the prison. The major correctional concepts that shaped the inmates’ prison experiences include: prison economy, prisonization and institutionalization, adaptive roles, and prison violence. Together, these concepts provide the multifaceted foundation of the prison environment in the film as well as depict current correctional concepts that are present in America’s prisons.

Northern Republicans and Southern Democrats attempted to cure their complete opposition on the regulation of slavery by using federal power to coerce an end to the feud, yet the movement increased tension between the divided nation. By invoking both legislative and judicial power, politicians used laws which included slave codes and freedom laws as well as court decisions like Dred Scott v Sandford (1875) to convince or force the population into acceptance of stances on slavery. Each party viewed their tactics and ideas to be righteous, and though they intended for positive results, national outrage answered the governmental movement.

The Unites States during the 1850s was a harsh time for African Americans, not only were they treated extremely harsh; but many of them were slaves as well. Slavery was the topic of every discussion during this time period and the United States was literally split on the issue of slavery. A lot of the Southern States wanted to continue slavery because it was a way of life. Many of the southerners depend on slavery to help grow and harvest crops that were on acres and acres of land. Northerns, on the other hand were against slavery. Slavery to them were not only inhumane, but Northerns rarely depended on slaves. Abolitionists were present throughout the United States, they created escape routes and safe houses for slaves who wanted to escape. The Underground Railroad was a prime example of this, not only was this risky for the slaves themselves but it was also risky for the people who helped them along the way. With the Fugitive Slave Act in full affect, Abolitionist were indeed breaking the ‘law’; but for equality for everyone no matter the skin color was a risk many were willing to take and die for.

However, with Jefferson’s dislike for the institution he knew that to oppose the issue could tear the nation completely apart. In 1820, during James Monroe’s Presidency the Missouri Compromise was approved. The Missouri Compromise essentially regulated the balance for the admittance of Slave and Free States into the Union. In Thomas Fleming’s A Disease in the Public Mind the author, states that with the Compromise’s passing that Jefferson declared that it signaled the end of the Union of the nation as they had once known it. With this idea in mind, Fleming presents how the Missouri Compromise seemed unsettling for Jefferson, who believed that regulating the state’s choice to have slavery or not would not end the institution but only stir up more loathing for the Southern States. Along with this Fleming, points out how many slave owners made the claim that the slaves they owned were considered property and were entitled to their property to be preserved by the government. It was here that the first changes in the nation’s society and economics take place in the United States. With the further spread of slavery into the west, the abolitionist and anti-slavery movements began to rise changing the minds of many who lived in the North and even some in the South to look at their society as a whole, which formed the question whether the institution of slavery was a moral and just one. This idea of slavery being moral and moral in American society heavily relied on the religious

Every since the start of slavery, in 1619 and all the way up until now 2016, people have been socially, religiously, and sexually profiled by their race. It could be something just as simple as where they come from, how they talk, their beliefs, or the color of their skin. We all are very aware of the history of slavery and how things went on in that time. I was far more horrific and blood-curdling back then. Unlike today protesting, rallying, and fight back was not an option back then, of course some stood up for what they believed in those were the boldest. Those who dared to challenge the authorities were the bravest, those who sat back at waited for a change were the patient.

Enslavement of African Americans was a common and legal practice in the United States from the 18th to the 19th century. Slavery of African Americans began in the American colonies when the British colonies in America bought slaves from Africa. It was a practice that was used as well as legal in all 13 colonies. It lasted in many states up until the end of the American Civil War. Slavery lasted longer in some states then it did in others. In the north slavery was abolished earlier then it was in the south. Reason being is in the south, there was more plantations and farms that needed tending to. Many young slaves were exposed to harsh conditions, having to pick cotton on farms or work in the plantations for their owners who treated them poorly.

Imagine looking to the left and seeing white. Looking to the right, seeing white. Looking up, seeing more white. Looking to the back and seeing the same white. For prisoners that have been redirected to solitary confinement, that is all they see for 23 hours a day. All that fills their prison cell is a silver metal toilet, metal sink, a bed, and a bible. They are expected to make use of their day by reading the bible and rehabilitating for their “punishment,” but how can anyone properly function in a 6-by-9-by-12-foot cell. Solitary confinement is best described as a form of punishment when the prisoner is placed in a cell isolated from any other prisoners. The history of this practiced has dated back to the 1980’s where prisoners were often

After having watched the documentary “Slavery by Another Name” I gained new insight into the history of slavery and the struggles that African Americans suffered during that time. I learned that slavery did not end after the 13th Amendment was passed. After the Amendment was passed African Americans were victims of segregation. Whites in the south continued to be in power and still found ways to continue slavery. According to the documentary Many African Americans were being incarcerated for minor offenses, and given fines and court fees that they were unable to pay. As a result, Blacks were forced to work for a local employer to repay their debts. While working many Blacks were exposed to toxics and chemicals that affected their health and nothing was being done to help them. African Americans still at that point had no control over their life and the time that came after slavery “ended” was worse than slavery itself as some of the stories that I watched in

Slavery in the United States existed from the beginning of European colonization. Colonizers for decades imported from Africa, thousands of people for slave labor for the conquerors. The situation began to change after the War of Independence of the United States, when the thirteen colonies revolted against the government of the United Kingdom. Announcement Declaration of Independence in 1776 and its recognition in the Treaty of Paris, London seven years later, gave birth to a new state. At that time, outlined a visible distinction between the northern and southern states in terms of the approach to the issue of slavery. In subsequent years, successive states of the north of the continent prohibit the import and sale of slaves. Things were different in the south of the country. Here, in contrast to the rich and modernizing the north, low high-tech economy based on the cultivation and require as many hands to work. The demand for

In order to begin speaking of slavery in the United States, I must give you an introduction prior to the topic of slavery in history. Slavery has been concurrent since pre-historic times. It has been used in many empires like the Roman Empire, Ancient China, Mesopotamia and the Indus River-Valley. Many of these slaves, men & women, were products of indebt people who sold themselves for money or became prisoners of war who were forced into servitude. Earliest records of slavery date back to 1760 B.C. with the Code of Hammurabi which stated many laws regarding slaves being lost or stolen. Time elapsed as slavery evolved where many Europeans noticed African natives were really durable and had a lot of knowledge regarding raising crop. A

Society has a way of turning their back on people if they don’t live up to societies standards. For example, when someone commits a crime they can be subjected to prison time and depending on the crime they could be placed in prison. In some cases, these prisoners are placed in a solitary prison where they are locked up for a majored of the day. In an extremely small cell just left to their thoughts. These prisoners are being punished in the worst way possible having

One of the greatest emphases that Victor Hugo enlightens in Les Miserables is the detrimental nature of the prison system. During the time Les Miserables was penned, a vast amount of issues plagued the prison system, and many of them are touched on in the novel. The prison system was structurally and functionally crumbling during the time of Les Miserables; from excessive punishment to skewed workforce, even the miserable living/working conditions for the convicts. Hugo emphasizes countless other issues throughout the novel, but these three are constantly referenced and expanded upon. The primary issue undermining the entire novel, excessive punishment, is the key reason as to why the prison system is the way it is.