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Explain the form of social control
Explain the form of social control
Research on social control
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Explain the form of social control
Explain the form of social control
Research on social control
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Without a serious punishment, these people are more likely to repeat their crimes. Heather Kramer and Otis Newton, who write for the Lakeside Publishing Group, believe that disenfranchisement is a necessary measure against convicted felons, as these criminals have failed to comply with the very document that provides them with many freedoms. This article hopes to attract the attention of the general
Over the last thirty years, the prison population in the United States has increased more than seven-fold to over two million people, including vastly disproportionate numbers of minorities and people with little education. For some racial and educational groups, incarceration has become a depressingly regular experience, and prison culture and influence pervade their communities. Almost 60 percent of black male high school drop-outs in their early thirties have spent time in prison. In Punishment and Inequality in America, sociologist Bruce Western explores the recent era of mass incarceration and the serious social and economic consequences it has wrought.
She first supports her claim by chronicling America 's history of institutionalized racism and systematic disenfranchisement of African Americans. Then, she discusses America 's War on Drugs that disproportionately targets minorities and finally as she examines the hardship faced by felons she compares and contrasts Jim Crow Laws to mass incarceration. Alexander surmises that mass incarceration is designed to maintain white supremacy and sustain a racial classification system. Alexander 's book is relevant to my research paper because she provides evidence that the criminal justice system is rooted in racism and directly linked to the racist agenda of the white supremacist. Broussard, B. (2015).
Annotated Bibliography Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New York: The New Press. Alexander opens up on the history of the criminal justice system, disciplinary crime policy and race in the U.S. detailing the ways in which crime policy and mass incarceration have worked together to continue the reduction and defeat of black Americans.
Knowing these facts, she also mentions how society disregards these men in prison because they’re focused on successful black celebrities, like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, as well as media promoting stereotypes on the War on Drugs. Acknowledging that mass incarceration is now the new “normal,” Alexander argues that it has become normalized due to individuals “knowing and not knowing (p. 182). To elaborate, individuals know and choose to ignore (not know) the fact that black men being incarcerated is unjust knowing, or not knowing, that white people are more likely to commit the same crimes and not being criminalized for it. (p. 182).
Many advocates for felons regaining voting rights believe the disenfranchisement of these felons is because of their race. Hull (2006) states, “according to U.S. government statistics two-thirds of those imprisoned are members of racial and ethnic minorities” (para. 7). These statistics show that more minorities are incarcerated than Caucasian people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s because of their race. For example, statistics also show that more men are incarcerated than women, so does that mean that it’s because of their sex? Of course not, the fact of the matter is that men commit more crimes than women because men are typically more aggressive, the same reasoning applies to race.
We live in a society where ethnic minorities are target for every minimal action and/or crimes, which is a cause to be sentenced up to 50 years in jail. African Americans and Latinos are the ethnic minorities with highest policing crimes. In chapter two of Michelle Alexander’s book, The Lockdown, we are exposed to the different “crimes” that affects African American and Latino minorities. The criminal justice system is a topic discussed in this chapter that argues the inequality that people of color as well as other Americans are exposed to not knowing their rights. Incarceration rates, unreasonable suspicions, and pre-texts used by officers are things that play a huge role in encountering the criminal justice system, which affects the way
Felon Disenfranchisement has emerged as popular and topic in recent political agendas. Felon Disenfranchisement is defined as, “The removing of a felon’s civil liberties while incarcerated and/or past their prison sentence” (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2016). Generally, disenfranchisement is seen as a retributive form of punishment. Arguably, the rights that are removed from felons during disenfranchisement are seen as essential to the American Identity. Supporters argue that people that break the law should not partake in the process of it and argue that the potential loss of these basic American civil liberties can provide deterrence.
A viewpoint when it comes to the major controversy of felon rights is often an biased opinion that originates from people as well as parents all alike and it is the argument that they as lawful citizens do not want violent offenders such as rapist, domestic offenders, and killers to be involved in voting whatsoever for the fact that these votes are ultimately determining what 's right or wrong for their country. The aspect that is often ignored and or unrealised in this situation is that violent offenders make up only a portion of those who get charged with felony offenses. According to statistics out of a list of twenty offenses that you can get charged as a felon for, violent crimes lies eighth on the list and even more substantial domestic violence and child abuse falls seventeenth on the list. So is it right to view all offenders the same way and hold limits on all as if they were exactly alike? Peter Dimond, an American economist, criticizes the system of economics that surrounds felons when he claims in the article “Should felons have the right to vote?” that to proceed from this issue “First, we need to recognize that felons aren’t necessarily villains – some may be victims themselves of an unfair judicial system, and even those that aren’t – those that have committed crimes deserving of felon status – should have their voices heard.
Michelle Alexander, similarly, points out the same truth that African American men are targeted substantially by the criminal justice system due to the long history leading to racial bias and mass incarceration within her text “The New Jim Crow”. Both Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Michelle Alexander’s text exhibit the brutality and social injustice that the African American community experiences, which ultimately expedites the mass incarceration of African American men, reflecting the current flawed prison system in the U.S. The American prison system is flawed in numerous ways as both King and Alexander points out. A significant flaw that was identified is the injustice of specifically targeting African American men for crimes due to the racial stereotypes formed as a result of racial formation. Racial formation is the accumulation of racial identities and categories that are formed, reconstructed, and abrogated throughout history.
In his article, “The Mass Incarceration of African-American Males: A Return to Institutionalized Slavery, Oppression, and Disenfranchisement of Constitutional Rights,” Floyd D. Weatherspoon uses a different intake to express the discrimination occurring in the world. He explains, “African-American men in America continue to seek freedom and justice through an American justice system unsympathetic to the plight of African-American males. Similar to James Somerset, African-American males in the United States have faced a long and treacherous journey for justice and equality,” which proves the realization is present, but no individual on this world has stepped far enough to defend these blameless people. The journey is strenuous, African-Americans are executed for an act that had no effect on any individual around them.
Due in part to the previous discussion on imprisonment and the African American male, criminal records deny voting rights and lead to job, education and housing discrimination. Across the country, 13 percent of black men have lost the right to
Various reasons why African American men are at a greater risk of experiencing incarceration include systemic racism, poverty, lack of access to education and job opportunities, and biased policing and sentencing practices. These elements contribute to a vicious cycle of disadvantage that may increase involvement in the criminal justice system. Obtaining stable employment is an essential component of successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals, as it can reduce the likelihood of recidivism and improve their overall well-being. But the stigma attached to having a criminal record, especially as a Black African American, seriously limits their options while reentering society and finding employment as pervasive racism and prejudice makes it extremely difficult. These collective studies conducted by sociologist Devah Pager in this chapter emphasize how the most dominant culture within our society, consisting of white males, continues to thrive through the criminal records of such participants and limit the opportunities of minorities, with or without a criminal record.
With help of policy making from the federal government, the law enforcement community
Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1963, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” , however this dream only became half true. For there is racial inequality in the criminal justice systems. A study says that 7 in 10 african americans and 1 in 4 caucasians recall that African American males have a higher possibility of being incarcerated than a caucasian male. As for all the other ethnicities, they are racially profiled in the education system.