Goal: Post about criminalizing poverty Total words in document: 830 Title: Criminalizing Poverty The way the criminal justice system in this country works does not create a level playing field for all offenders. The ability of the offender to pay greatly influences the amount of time spent in corrections, not only because of the policy of restitution, but also with the added Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) placed upon the accused by the criminal justice system. These LFOs are assessed with no regard to the ability to pay and include court fines, cost of care, cost of testing and evaluation, cost of probation and supervision, cost of expungement, and the cost of counsel. The inability to pay these costs results in a modern day debtors’ …show more content…
Even for something as minor as a traffic fine, the inability to pay can cause the principle to grow rapidly when late fees and then interest (12% annually) are charged for non-payment. This can result in wage garnishment and loss of driver’s license, which affects the individual’s ability to earn a living to support themselves and their families. The end result of these practices is a cycle of poverty that can be felt for generations, as children grow up with absent parents because of the inability to pay debts incurred for even minor …show more content…
They were also meant to highlight the need for reform and current reform efforts. As a result of the conferences, a guide was produced to identify resources and publications to address the consequences of Legal Financial Obligations, so that policy-makers can use the latest science and data to make best practices reforms to justice
Jeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 1979, it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. This book he wrote is like a textbook for the class with many different sources cited to give the thorough knowledge for criminal justice major. As we read through the book we will get to know that he figured out something very deeply about cultural sense, which helped him a lot to collect public information. The main focus of this book is the title itself, because the rich get richer and the poor get prison, says a lot, which is happening in the country due to our present economic system. In this system author is trying to define the true definition of crime and criminal, uneven wealth distribution, poverty and criminal justice system that does to protect us against the gravest
Florida courts are plagued with too many people appointed or elected who are entrusted with the sole responsibilities of doing out justice in their public official capacity, who often times suffer from the common syndrome of lacking the ability to separate the administration of justice from the imbuing of their very own interest and passion. Court Judges, prosecutors, and even law enforcement officers very often cannot resist the urge to impart their very own passions and interest into the administration of justice. Far too often an individual’s social, background, and even financial status plays a significant role into the courts official’s decisions and administration of justice. The decision to impose a stiff penalty as oppose to showing
Which in turn leads to the Mass incarceration of these poorer communities (African Americans). After going through the penal system these people are then legally allowed to be discriminated upon, leaving them without housing, jobs, work, or simply a voice in society. Which ultimately leaves these people oppressed and exiled from society. The oppression of African Americans is very prominent, whether it is obviously blatant actions from governors and signs or a complex structural system that traps these people in a
Because there is a distortion by poverty, two types of justice systems are created. In an article a “two-tiered justice system that allows people convicted of serious crimes to buy their way into safer and more comfortable jail stays” (Santo) was said to have been created because of
From the shooting demise of unarmed young person Michael Brown, to the vigorously mobilized police reaction, to the challenges in the wake of Brown 's passing, to the disappointment of the fabulous jury to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson for his part in the shooting, the occasions in Ferguson, Missouri, have turned up the warmth on a long stewing open deliberation over the tenacious imbalances in our criminal equity framework. Other late occasions have made the critical need to act significantly all the more clear: In Staten Island, New York, an excellent jury chose not to arraign New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo for creating the demise of another unarmed dark man, Eric Garner, despite the fact that the officer 's activities were
The criminal equity framework in the United States has endured a stupendous advancement. There are more than a huge number of African American men in jail that are imprisoned and a large portion of them may never get out. It is conceivable that more African American guys will go to jail in their life expectancy than some other race. This have made dark groups and the up and coming eras dependably turn into the objective. The greater part of these families as of now experience serious difficulties for their family because of single child rearing, the unemployment rate for dark male go up, they can 't vote while being imprisoned, and more individuals feel like jail is another home outside of their home.
Defined as a public policy that imposes an outlined amount of prison time based on the crime committed and the defendant’s criminal history, these sentences dictate that a judge must enact a statutory fixed penalty on individuals convicted of certain crimes, regardless of extenuating circumstances. Such laws have removed discretionary sentencing power from judges, instead focusing on severe punishments in line with national drug and crime concerns. While the original goal of mandatory minimum sentences was to deter potential criminals, reduce drug use, control judicial prudence, the policy has had extreme consequences such as sentencing imbalances and
The criminal justice system may be more corrupt than the people who fill our prisons. It is amazing to see the many ways that certain parts of society actually benefit from the current system we support. This book,The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, by authors Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton, has open my eyes to a very corrupt idealism. They are very precise in their supporting examples as well by walking the reader through each step and analogy.
She also explains some circumstances from people that have been sunken into debt facing prison. On the other hand, her argument against the school’s truancy fines is weak because these fines prevent kids to become part of criminal gangs. However, her essay is effective because she demonstrates to the reader the problems that the U.S. is facing to deal with criminals and poor population.
A recent trend in the United States Justice System, at local and state levels, is to implement the use of formulas and algorithms to determine sentencing length. In her article “Sentencing, by the Numbers”, University of Michigan law professor Sonja Starr focuses on this trend, and shows flaws that she finds in the system. In the article, she agrees with the actions of Attorney General Eric Holder in criticizing the system for the way in which it determines the risk of future crimes. Throughout, Starr presents the system as something that will, instead of solving mass incarceration, make the problem worse for impoverished persons and minorities. Starr argues that the system discriminates against those with a socioeconomic disadvantage, has
III. Prison system affects poverty ● America 's prison system is increasing the poverty in The United states. According to “Out of prison and out of work: Jobs out of reach for former inmates” an article by published by CNN, written by Tanzina Vega the united states has 5 percent of the world 's population but 25 percent of its prison population. A large part of this is due to unemployment. As can be seen in an article published by VICE named “Why Is Getting a Job After Prison Still Such a Nightmare for Ex-Cons?”.
Short Summary: Chapter 2 of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison was about how the way society sees crime can be distorted by the media, the justice system, and the information we are presented with about what crime really is. It points out that medical neglect, known environmental hazards, dangerous workplace conditions, and poverty cause more injuries yearly than murders, assaults, and robberies. Most people see the latter as “crime,” but not the former. Long Summary: Chapter 2 of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison discusses people’s skewed perspective when it comes to what they think crime really is. The reader is asked to do an exercise regarding their own reason.
This issue led to what is now resulting in mass incarceration. Mass incarceration has been shown to affect mostly poor and minorities. Individuals living in poverty are not afforded the same royalties as those who are not in poverty. They are more willing to commit crimes because of their lack of fortune. The crime rate is more prone to be in urban communities, which hold a significant number of minorities.
The cash-based bail system has few perceived advantages and significant disadvantages. The cash-based bail system though overall is systematically flawed, keeping it from serving its intended purpose of public safety and ensuring defendant’s appearance in court (Pretrial Justice Institute, 2012). While some people may view it as a necessary system, it should be evaluated to determine if it is serving its intended purpose. I believe it is serving a much different purpose than it intends to. Rather than providing safety for the public and causing defendants to have a financial incentive to appear at court, the cash-based bail system has created a justice system that systematically incarcerates the poor.
Poverty is defined as the state of being unable to fulfill basic needs of human beings. Poverty is the lack of resources leading to physical deprivation. Poor people are unable to fulfill basic survival needs such as food, clothing, shelter. These are the needs of lowest order and assume top priority. Poor people are unknown of their lack of voice, power, and rights, which leads them to exploitation.