The justice system in the United States of America is not fair. Michelle Alexander writes a great article “Locked Up In America” describing how people gets into the justice system and how their life is when coming out of jail. People that are convicted of any crime they are labeled as criminals and felons. Criminals does not get properly punished for their crimes if they did they wouldn’t be so many people going in and out of jail. The justice system should have different ways of punishing a person according to the crime they commit, just by putting them in jail and assuming that is going to change them is not a good way of going about that. These criminals as the justice system call them they get stripped of basic civil and human rights when being released from jail. There not able to find a job, and they can’t get any government assistant. Is like the justice system wants these criminals to fail in life for they could keep going back to jail. When a person is released from jail they are considered a criminal for whatever crime they committed they are stripped of basic and civil rights. …show more content…
They just assume it was something bad and they won’t hire them. Alexander Acknowledges that “You’re now branded a criminal ,a felon, and employment discrimination is now legal against you for the rest of your life.”(Alexander3) Jobs have the right to not hire a criminal if they don’t want it is not discriminating by law. So basically if you don’t know someone that owns a business or knows someone in a job that can explain to the person that hires that you’re a change person and wants the opportunity to excel in life you will not get a job nowhere. That is not fair we I believe everyone should be able to get a second
After learning about the privileges felons lose and reading this section in Michelle Alexander’s book, I cannot imagine what I would do if I were to be convicted and labelled a felon. Once being released, I would basically have to start all over and possibly, never get back to where I was at when I was first found guilty. Upon being released from prison, my initial worry would be where I plan to live now, or at least where I am going to stay for the night. Being that I am now a felon, I know I would not be able to return to my apartment, so I would have no choice but to rely on my parents for a place to live. I know, without a doubt, they would help me in any situation.
I have to agree with Alexander (2012) that being labeled a felon condemned individuals to second-class citizenship perpetuate the cycle of criminal behavior. I have seen firsthand individuals being released from prison as a felon back into society and how Jim Crow practices outcast them from society. For example, newly released individuals from prison are indeed released with a financial debt owed to the Criminal Justice System. Many of the individuals often have to pay restitution to victims, court costs/attorney fees, and fees owed to the Probation department. Individual parolees are required to pay money to their probation officers every visit and some parolees may be required to visit their probation officer every month.
But they fail to realize that the system we have now throws anyone in jail no matter if the person committed the crime or not. They also fail to realize that the current system sentencing isn't organized or fair because there are people out there innocent and people who don’t deserve that time that was given for petty crimes. The current system doesn’t seek for justice, they see everyone who gets arrested as a criminal and feels they should be thrown away for a very long time and that isn't fair. Sentencing reforming is highly recommended due to the outrageous modern sentencing practices we have today. People go to jail or maybe even prison for such petty crimes that doesn't deserve the many years that were given to them.
In most cases, felons are the result of failed social structures to begin with. It is form of discrimination. Felons should be allowed to vote on issues that affect their society. If they are born citizens of the United States, then they have the right to vote and should be able to vote after serving their punishment. A right is NOT a privilege and therefore should not be taken away, unless the crime committed relates to or specifically abuses that particular right.
America’s criminal justice system need to make a change. We are constantly wasting millions of dollars on prison cells that won’t even be needed if they gave citizens who broke the law quick and easy punishments. In our society today many youths are being sentenced harsh punishments due to petty crimes, these harsh punishments include five or more years in prisons. Our criminal justice system is just plain corrupted and unreasonable. Judges show give fast punishments which are less severe to citizens who has broke small laws.
Those that still pay taxes after being released, but are still on parole or probation, have to lead the life of a normal citizen
After all the years behind bars, they have gradually become more dependent on the walls around them and rather stay in prison because they know the world and their lives are not the same as the ones the time they were jailed. In other words, they are hopeless to re-enter our society. Where else can they be, if not the prison? What else can they do, if not
The prison system is able to change it just takes the government not being as stubborn. They outlaw the death penalty. If the death penalty was still used the prisons would have about ⅔ of the inmates left then what is has now. As seen here ”people talk about how the death penalty is not a deterrent. Well, we do it so infrequently.
Such disclosure negates the fact that employment is commonly one of the challenges former ex-convicts embark on because almost every employer will look after the applicant’s background bearing his/her previous experience and recommendation and no further than their criminal
Many felons go back to the same iniquitous behavior because after they served their time society still punish them with voting rights, the ability of carrying a gun, or even basic as getting an apartment. I truly believe in some cases, not having a second chance results in having a high unemployment and crime rate. The idea that people deserve a second chance is an important American value. In 2010, there were over 2 million individuals classified as a felon in the United States.
People of all different races and ethnicities are locked behind bars because they have been convicted of committing a crime and they are paying for the consequences. When looking at the racial composition of a prison in the United States, it does not mimic the population. This is because some races and ethnicities are over represented in the correctional system in the U.S. (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2018). According Walker et al. (2018), African-Americans/Blacks make up less than fifteen percent of the U.S. population, while this race has around thirty-seven percent of the population in the correctional system today.
The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for several reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. This literature review will discuss the ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system and how mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism has become a problem.
Everybody in prison is incarcerated for many different reasons, some have major crimes, some have minor crimes and some are even falsely
This will be the type of people which take decisions for our children 's future! Would you want a criminal to be allowed to change your children 's lives? If we accept to give those prisoners the choices of the future is the point of law? Why not break laws it if there is no punishment? Some may, have children and decide to protect them, and not all people are criminals as some people may argue.
Humanities Day is very valuable and meaningful because it helps us understand others through their languages, histories, and cultures. It also teaches us to reason about being human and to ask questions about the world and our lives. During the fourth annual Humanities Day, two particular events truly informed me and affected my thinking:“Languages, Universality, and Human Rights,” hosted by Mark Miller, and “Power and the Humanities,” hosted by students. These two presentations were similar yet held a very different concept about the meaning of Humanities Day, which brings a very unique and broader perspective about the world. Mark Miller’s presentation was about the background and development of Humanities Day, which raises awareness