The Incarceration Explosion Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Yale Law & Policy Review Spring 2013, Volume 32, Issue 2
This essay explores the mass increase of the incarceration rate
in the United States. Congressman Conyers outlines the causes of this
problem and discusses various legislative solutions, including:
"Eliminate irrational disparate sentencing penalties for similar crimes" (p. 383)
"Offer opportunities that will reduce recidivism" (p. 384)
"Provide alternatives to prison" (p. 384)
"Create rational sentencing policies" (p. 385)
"Offer comprehensive, evidence-based prevention and intervention programs" (p. 386)
Martensen explores the issue of mass incarceration in the United States, particularly how this serious problem impacts low-income communities of color. She identifies the stigma that follows incarceration and the struggles individuals may face after release from prison. "Although employment is one of the most notable obstacles for released inmates, it is not the only one. Offenders may be legally denied 'public housing, welfare benefits...child support, parental rights, and the ability to obtain an education'" (p. 216). The cycle of incarceration and the lasting effects for families and communities are also discussed.
This qualitative research study examines the question, "what burdens do women face because of the incarceration of a loved one and how do these women respond" (p. 73). The researcher worked closely with Families to Amend California's Three Strikes (FACTS). Key findings include:
The financial burdens experienced (legal representation, visits to prisons, living supplies sent, restitution, and caring for a spouse or child/ren)
Prejudices experienced both inter personally and institutionally
"Extreme feelings of loss, worry, and even guilt" (p. 77)
Sentences of life without parole (LWOP) are explored in this article by Jill Filipovic. "Of prisoners serving life sentences without parole, 79 percent committed nonviolent drug crimes" (para. 5). The author describes the profits that private prisons earn yearly. Comparisons between the United States' LWOP statistics are compared to other countries and a call is made to focus on rehabilitation instead of continuing with the current system.
This article negates the idea that we live in a post-racial society by examining "the racial politics of mass incarceration" (p. 1028). The author provides background and history on the convict lease system including examples of the horrific violence that occurred. Additionally, connections between an individual's multiple identities are explored: "Cumulation defines what it means to be black and poor, Latino and gay, white and male; there's simply no such thing as an essential racial (or class, gender, or sexual) identity unaltered by its imbrication with other pervasive stratification systems" (pp. 1058-1059).
"This article is designed to trace the criminalization of African Americans from slavery through 2010 and the War on Drugs" (p. 1). Key times in history explore the denial of education and the criminalization of blacks, and include:
A group-authored report to explain the history of the Justice Reinvestment and it's original purpose to "...make state government accountable to impoverished communities—mostly (though not exclusively) black and Latino—where the burden of punishment and incarceration has been heaviest" (p. 5). Limitations and outcomes are discussed and then the report moves into strategies and suggestions for an improved Justice Reinvestment. Case studies and information regarding the juvenile justice system are included in the appendices.
No comments:
Post a Comment