The Consequences Of Incarceration

Laws like three strikes, mandatory minimum sentencing, powder and crack cocaine disparities, and others, must be eradicated. The prisons are overfilled with non-violent, victimless offenders living environments that are overcrowded, in poor condition, and exploitive of prisoners’ lack of basic rights. This is neither conducive to the betterment of prisoners, nor the improvement of their life trajectories once they leave. Additionally, most drug laws produce racially disparate outcomes, furthering stereotypes and the inherent criminalization of men of color. In the long run, America must move toward alternative sentencing programs for low-level and non-violent offenders that issue penalties that are actually proportionate with real public safety

As Americans, we live one of the greatest countries in the world. Things are not perfect, but they can range from good to great. However, there is one area that seems to continuously fall behind our great national standard. This area is the level of people that to fill up our prison system. The United States has only five percent of the world 's population, but it has houses 25 percent of its prisoners, which is around 2.2 million people (Collier, 2014). One of the main reasons the United States has become the prison capital of the world is due to the hard stance on all drugs. This stance led to the use of mandatory minimum sentencing laws to keep drug offenders locked up for longer than they should be.

Since the beginning of the war on drugs, there has been a 500% increase in incarcerations, most of them being mandatory minimum sentences. Although mandatory minimums were instituted in order to combat crime and are still sentenced in court today, research suggests that this deterrent has little to no effect.While white people make up the majority of drug arrests, minorities make up three fourths of individuals with mandatory minimums. Contrary to the claim that mandatory minimums are fair and equal, they contribute to America's problem of racial discrimination and prejudice, and mass incarceration.

1. “Collateral consequences” refers to all related and seemingly unintended consequences of something. What are the collateral consequences of mass incarceration, and how do they contribute to inequality? (Chapter 33 Bryan L. Sykes and Becky Pettit: “Mass Incarceration and Family Life” In Other Words: Virginia E. Rutter: “Doing Time = Doing Gender” (Girl w/ Pen!))

The guidelines for repairing harm requires that, to the best extent attainable, offenders take responsibility and take action to make things right with those individuals who were harmed (Bazemore & Maruna, 2009). Reentry and recidivism is unmistakably a test for all involved. In the course of recent decades, the United States has encountered imprisonment rates that have almost quintupled, with 1,610,584 prisoners currently incarcerated in state and

Recidivism refers to the return of an ex-offender to criminal behavior following conviction or retribution of a crime that has been committed before. There are various reasons for why people reoffend such as the failure of the proposed sanction, incorrigibility, failure of support in reintegration, mental health, peer pressure and other social provocations, economic stress and failure of programs. Recidivism is a fundamental problem facing criminal justice as it indicates the incapacity associated with confinement as a way of dealing with crime.

Mass black incarceration has a myriad of effects on the culture and society of black communities across the nation. This paper examines these effects, including the reasons for black male incarceration, the widespread nature of it, the effects it has on black women, children and the community. The research was taken from several social scientists well-respected in African-American culture and includes interviews, surveys, raw statistics and data. By compiling this research, it is clear that a common theme is that the black women of African-American

During the past decade, there has been a newly found interest in prisoner reentry. This is due to a change in many of the factors surrounding the release of convicted felons and their reentry into to the community (Visher, C. A., & Travis, J. 2003). The number of people incarcerated in the United States prisons has quintupled and correctional facilities are working on getting them back into the community. Over half of the convicted felons that are released from prison return to correctional systems within one year of their release date. One of the most common reasons for their return into the prison systems is because many

Adjusting to life after incarceration can be a very long and difficult process to overcome. There are many obstacles people face when returning home for the first time in years. Most people generally come home to nothing and have to try to make a life out of it. As an ex-con you face stigma, lack of opportunities and the constant risk of recidivism. Recidivism is the ongoing cycle of incarceration. You continue to be in and out of prison because you cannot successfully re-transition into society. This topic is worth investigating because recidivism is a current problem in the United States and it usually takes place because the justice system fails to prepare their inmates for what life will be like. Rehabilitation is key and because there is a lack of that there is a lack of success in offenders returning home. Young adults should be aware of recidivism because they can easily be sucked into the system and this can happen to them. They can find themselves in a position where they end up in prison and fall victim to recidivism. Questions that will guide this research include:

Recidivism is the result of a former prisoner relapsing into criminal activity and returning to prison for a new offense. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of

The United States justice system can be described as a cycle, where people enter the prison system, are released, and upon failure to integrate into society soon find themselves back behind bars. Although the means in which the cycle is perpetuated can be argued, the rate of re-offenders is constantly trying to be reduced. One term used to define this type of convict is recidivism, which is the repeat criminal action of a convicted inmate. Recidivism is fastly becoming a issue in the United States as it has been shown that 70% of convicted offenders have been reconvicted within three years of release (Esperian, 2010, p. 322). As crime of any background can be detrimental to society, this high rate of reentry into the justice system has stimulated

Additionally, these overall rates of incarceration can be accounted for changes in policy throughout time. The justice system was not the same it was before. The fourth president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, Jeremy Travis, claimed in his book, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences,” that from the 1940’s to present day, lawmakers sought to change behavior and criminal policy year round. However, this led to an increase in pursuing and punishing the lawbreakers, mostly seen in the West, between all the levels of government, local, state, and federal government (Travis 105). For example, state and federal legislators signed laws intended to ensure that

According to the National Institute of Justice, recidivism is the recurrence of a crime on an individual who was incarnated. Recidivism occurs across the United States. In addition, within three years of being released, 76% of the ex-convict are rearrested for committing a criminal offense. (Durose, Cooper, & Snyder, 2014) This signifies that less than one-fourth of the individuals arrested are able to get back to their life and not be rearrested. Among all the individuals who are imprison, those who have criminal history, serious criminal offense charges, and lack supervision after being release are at the highest risk for recidivism due to the lack of empowerment, proper discharge planning, and competitive transitioning programs. The federal

Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences. Recidivism refers to a person 's relapse into criminal behavior and is measured by criminal acts that resulted in rearrest, reconviction or return to jail within a three-year period following the criminal 's release. Approximately 6 in 10 released inmates are rearrested or reincarcerated within three years of release from prison (The Bureau of Planning, Research and Statistics, 2013). Many criminals go to jail after doing time because they find it hard to fit back in with the normal life due to returning to high risk places and finding a job. In order to eliminate high recidivism with the jail system, it is necessary to provide education and vocational training.

By the lack of rehabilitation programs in the state and federal prison systems, the chances of convicts releasing and returning back to prison increases rapidly. The lack of rehabilitation is one of the most leading causes to an offenders relapse or to a new crime that will be committed within 3 years from the offender’s release. A rehabilitation program