Mass Incarceration in Arizona: Trends and History
Mass incarceration is an example of one of the more profound injustices of our time. Arizona is one of the states in America that currently struggles with mass incarceration, as its penal system has spiraled out of control, becoming a factor of injustice, rather than a necessary and notable part of the justice system. This paper will look at how the penal system has changed—in Arizona and in America as a whole, and discuss how Arizona has also gotten on the corrupt bandwagon of for-profit prisons, something that does a tremendous disservice to all the citizens of the nation. Finally, this paper will examine the race relations in Arizona from a more historical perspective, ultimately demonstrating that mass incarceration impacts black and brown men more than white men, and is ultimately a form of segregation revived. This paper seeks to prove the undeniable connection…...

Michelle Alexander does not assume full credit for the striking title of her book The New Jim Crow, recounting having seen the slogan on a “bright orange poster” in 1998.[footnoteRef:1] Former ACLU attorney turned law professor, Michelle Alexander had always been aware of the need for justice system reform. Alexander worked headed the ACLU Racial Justice Project but it took that bright orange poster to help her draw the connection between drug policy and race-related social justice issues in America. Her initial research revealed that up to three quarters of the prison terms being served for drug offences are Black or Latino, even though the “majority of the country’s illegal drug users and dealers are white.”[footnoteRef:2] Alexander herself is bi-racial, with a white mother and a black father. She experienced discrimination from an early age, forcing her parents out of their community. Her childhood experiences spurned racial awareness, and prompted…...

Alone in the World -- Neil Bernstein
The book is both a reflection of the damage done and a future roadmap. The author has employed several convincing aspects of narration in expressing her criticism of the policies that govern crime and the management of those convicted of various offences. Policies such as sentencing, arrest, foster care, legacy, visiting and re-entry are cast in the exploration.

Accounts from her interviews with children whose parents are incarcerated help us to not only see the suffering and trauma that such children go through, but also help us to see the lacunae in the system. the police took away icky's mother rather quickly, Leaving icky alone to fend for his younger brother who was an infant. icky had to take up adult responsibilities. He, a child too, cooked and took care of his infant brother for two weeks. Neighbours got concerned and called in Child…...

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References

Bernstein, Nell. 2005. All Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated. New York: The New Press.

Drucker, Ernest. 2011. A Plague of Prisons: The Epidemiology of Mass Incarceration in America. New York: The New Press. Families Against Mandatory Minimums. 2013. "Why Should I Care?" Accessed May 20, 2014.  http://famm.org/sentencing-101/the-facts/ .

Feig, L. (2016). Breaking the Cycle: A Family-Focused Approach to Criminal Sentencing in Illinois. Retrieved from SSA:  http://ssa.uchicago.edu/breaking-cycle-family-focused-approach-criminal-sentencing-illinois 

Goldstein, N. (2004). All alone in the world: Children of the incarcerated. Retrieved from Raw Story:  http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/goldstein/all_alone_110905.htm

Diversity Inc: eflecting on MLK DayArticle SummaryThe article eflecting on the History of MLK Day by DiversityInc Contributer (2023) discusses the history of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was established in the US to honor the civil rights leader and his legacy. The article begins by discussing the background of MLK, how he came from humble origins, and how he went on to be revered around the world before being assassinated. It then moves on to the topic of memorializing MLK with his own national holiday. This is the main point of the article, which is that there is a lesson in the story of how King received his own day.The article states for instance that it was not easy for recognition to be gained: It took 15 years of lobbying to get the U.S. Congress to establish MLK Day, which finally became an official holiday in 1986 (DiversityInc…...

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ReferencesDiversityInc Contributor. (2023). Reflecting on the history of MLK day. Retrieved from Reflecting on the History of MLK Day - DiversityInc

Sentencing in the US versus in Germany and the Netherlands
There is one major difference between the sentencing and corrections policies of the US and the sentencing and corrections policies of Germany and the Netherlands. The former bases its policy on the ideas of retribution and incapacitation, whereas the latter base their policies on the ideas of rehabilitation and socialization (Vera Institute of Justice, 2013). This basic philosophical orientation towards the corrections is what distinguishes the two policies. The US views corrections as a punitive measure while Germany and the Netherlands view corrections in a positive light -- a measure that is designed to return the inmate to society. Indeed, recidivism rate in the US is 40% -- meaning that 4 out of every 10 inmates released will return to prison within the first three years (Vera Institute of Justice, 2013). In Germany and the Netherlands, such a rate is unheard…...

Incarceration on Prisoners Families
There can be little doubt that incarceration will impact on families as well as the prisoner. ith more than 1 million women and 6 million men within the correctional system in the U.S. (Clarke and Adashi 923), indicating an exponentially large number of family members being impacted. The family members most impacted are the immediate family; partners, and children, as well as parents, as well as impacting on the wider communities (Braman 5). This paper reviews the problems faced by prisoners' families, focusing on partners and children of those incarcerated.

The impact on partners can be far reaching, especially for partners who met their partners prior to any incarceration. The impacts will be tangible and psychological. Firstly, the incarceration of a partner may create financial hardships, this may be due to loss of income, especially where the prisoner was a major wage earner. hen it is remembered…...

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Works Cited

Braman, D. Doing Time on the Outside. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2007. Print.

Clarke, J G, and E. Y Adashi. "Perinatal Care for Incarcerated Patients." JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association 305.9 (2011): 923 -- 929. Print.

Comfort, M. Doing Time Together: Love and Family in the Shadow of the Prison. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2009. Print.

Hairston,. "Prisoners and Families: Parenting Issues During Incarceration." "From Prison to Home" Conference. N.p., 2002. Web. .

Essay Topic Examples

1.Reforming Sentencing Laws:
    This essay will explore how modifying rigid sentencing laws, such as mandatory minimums for non-violent offenses, could reduce the United States' incarceration rates. It will delve into the potential for sentencing reform to offer more discretionary power to judges and foster rehabilitative rather than purely punitive justice strategies.

2.Enhancing Drug Treatment rograms:
    The essay will examine the role of drug addiction in contributing to high incarceration rates and propose enhanced drug treatment and diversion programs as a solution. It will look at how certain drug courts can work to provide offenders with the necessary treatment to reduce recidivism and prevent the imprisonment of individuals with substance abuse issues.

3.Investing in Community-Based Alternatives:
    In this essay, the focus will be on how the implementation of community-based alternatives to incarceration, such as probation, community service, and electronic monitoring, can influence the decarceration movement. The piece will discuss the effectiveness of these strategies…...

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Primary Sources

United States Department of Justice. \"Smart on Crime: Reforming The Criminal Justice System for the 21st Century.\" August 2013.

Council of State Governments Justice Center. \"Justice Reinvestment State Brief: Reducing Spending on Corrections and Reinvesting in Strategies to Increase Public Safety.\" 2010.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). \"A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses.\" November 2013.

Travis, Jeremy, et al. \"The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences.\" National Research Council, 2014.

Vera Institute of Justice. \"The Potential of Community Corrections to Improve Safety and Reduce Incarceration.\" July 2013.

Milwaukee Experiment
The seeming injustice of so many African-American males serving time in prisons has been seen as a national problem for a long time. But the report in The New Yorker about the ratio of black males in prisons in isconsin shows a problem that is considerably greater than the national picture. This paper delves into that issue, and reports on what one prosecutor is trying to do about the situation.

In isconsin, African-Americans are only 6% of the entire population, but they constitute 37% of all imprisoned persons. Of all the African-American males in isconsin, studies completed in 2010 show that 13% of them are in prison; and worse yet, in Milwaukee County " ... more than half of African-American men in their thirties had served time in state prison" (Toobin, 2015). The article that points out that Milwaukee County's District Attorney, John Chisholm, who is fully aware of course…...

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Works Cited

Toobin, J. (2015). The Milwaukee Experiment. The New Yorker.

Juvenile Offenders
The author of this report is asked to answer several questions relating to the handling of treatment of juvenile criminal offenders and how some alternatives to some current practices might yield better efficacy and benefits than simply throwing them in juvenile facilities and/or treating them like adult offenders committing the same crime. In question are the historical and economic reasons behind the quest of alternatives for housing and rehabbing juvenile offenders, three alternatives to incarceration that are currently used and the significant societal and individual benefits that can be reaped from these efforts as well as others. While some horrific crimes are committed by teenagers and younger, most juvenile offenders should be given ample chance to rebuild their life and self-esteem so that they can become contributing members of society.

Questions Answered

egarding the underlying historical and economic reasons for treating juvenile offenders differently than just throwing them in jail,…...

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References

Hong, S. (2014, May 20). Study shows in-home probation for juvenile offenders lowers recidivism. Newsroom. Retrieved June 2, 2014, from  http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/study-shows-in-home-probation-for-juvenile-offenders-lowers-recidivism 

Nolo. (2014, June 2). Diversion Programs: Avoid Conviction & Trial | Nolo.com.

Nolo.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014, from  http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/diversion-programs.html 

Robbins, L. (2013, May 4). Another Chance for Mone't. The New York Times.

ace, Class and Gender and Correctional Settings
Today, the United States incarcerates more than 25% of low-income young black males, so it is reasonable to suggest that there is an inextricable relationship between race, socioeconomic class and gender and the institutional correctional community. It is also reasonable to suggest that this relationship has a corresponding impact on clients, staff and the administration of correctional institutions. To determine the facts, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to identify the role of race, class and gender within the institutional correctional community and the impact of these variables on clients, staff, and administration. Finally, an analysis concerning the impact of race, class, and gender on current correctional institutions is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning the relationship between race, class and gender within the institutional correctional community in the conclusion.

eview and Discussion

The role of race,…...

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References

Assigning inmates to prison. (2014). North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Retrieved from  http://www.doc.state.nc.us/dop/custody.htm .

Camp, S.D. & Steiger, T.L. Gender and racial differences in perceptions of career opportunities and the work environment in a traditionally white, male occupation:

Correctional workers in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In N.A. Jackson (ed.).

Contemporary issues in criminal justice: Shaping tomorrow's system, pp. 258-277,

Free
How the Criminal Justice System is Dysfunctional according to Paul Butler's Let's Get Free

The American criminal justice system has had a long history of prejudice. From the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision that institutionalized the false concept of "separate but equal" to the Jim Crow laws that followed to the methods of "control" enacted by police in urban communities, criminal justice in the U.S. has seen lots of crime but little justice. Part of the reason for the inherent dysfunction in the way minorities have always been treated in America is that the country was founded on prejudiced WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) principles: the principle of "manifest destiny" was based on the supposedly "divine right" that WASPs had to "control" the New World and eradicate the "lesser" races (such as the Native Americans and the African-Americans). These prejudiced principles were absorbed into the criminal justice system through lawmakers (as…...

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Reference List

Butler, P. (2010). Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice. UK:

ReadHowYouWant Publishers.

Ex Offenders
The United States is regarded as having the world's highest incarceration rate. It has been estimated that the prisons are holding more than 2.3 million people as of now. Due to this reason, overcrowding is a significant issue in the prison system of the country. It is seen that for every hundred thousand population, there are seven hundred and forty eight inmates and this number is expected to increase. Due to the increased incarceration, the state and the federal prisons are made to release a decent number of ex-offenders every year. The trend of releasing has only been a result of the mass incarceration that the country has experienced. It was seen that during the 1972 till the 1997 period, the number of state and federal prisoners increased from 196,000 to a record of 1,159,000 (Mauer, 1999) In 2000, a total of 600,000 ex-offenders were released to the communities…...

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References

Beck, A. And Shipley, J. (1989). Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1983. Bureau of Justice Statistics special reports. [report] U.S. Department of Justice.

Burton, V., Cullen, F. And Travis III, L. (1987). Collateral Consequences of a Felony Conviction: A National Study of State Statutes, The. Fed. Probation, 51 p. 52.

Chin, G. And Holmes Jr., R. (2001). Effective Assistance of Counsel and the Consequences of Guilty Pleas. Cornell L. Rev., 87 p. 697.

Clear, T., Rose, D. And Ryder, J. (2001). Incarceration and the community: The problem of removing and returning offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 47 (3), pp. 335 -- 351.

Penal Practices
Penal is a word pertaining to punishment and the penal system or penal practices are those related to trial of a person to judge if he should be punished or not and if yes, how much and for how long should he be punished. The penal practices are governed by standard penal laws that are similar yet customized in every country. For example, theft is the same crime but punished with imprisonment in USA, cutting of hands in Saudi Arabia and some time ago, punished by being shot in China. Thus the penal practices can vary from country to country and region to region.

Objective of Penal System

The objectives of penal system are evident and clear. There is a party, a person a group or an organization that committed crime and another party that was wronged. The first objective of penal system is to compensate the affected party by punishing…...

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References

1. Spivakovksy, C. 2013. 'Chapter 1: The Infalliable Science of Offending Behaviour', Racialised Governance: The Mutual Constructions of Race and Criminal Justice, Ashgate Press, pp. 15-37.

2. Davis, A.Y. 1998. 'Racialised punishment and prison abolition', in J. James (ed.), The Angela Y. Davis Reader, Blackwell Publishers, Cambridge, pp. 96-107.

3. Alexander, M. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, The New Press, New York.

4. Bird, G., Martin, G. & Nielsen, J. (eds.) 1996. Majah: Indigenous Peoples and the Law, Federation Press, Sydney.

New Jim Crow
When considering the introduction and chapter three of Michelle Alexander's book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, arguably the most important conceptional foundation to remember is the notion of social oppression, and particularly the fact that social oppression can occur with or without the knowledge or intention of the dominant social group. As Hardiman, Jackson, and Griffin note in their contribution to eadings for Diversity and Social Justice, social oppression that occurs on the institutional level is oftentimes the product of oppressive beliefs and behaviors on the level of the individual and society, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint, and thus challenge, the roots of institutional oppression. Chapter three of Alexander's book highlights this difficulty in its discussion of the Supreme Court's inability or unwillingness to confront qualitatively obvious discrimination in favor of the near-impossible task of identifying specific, individual cases of racial…...

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References

Alexander, M. (2010). The new jim crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New York, NY: The New Press.

Hardiman, R., Jackson, B., & Griffin, P. (2010 ). "conceptual foundations." In M. Adams (Ed.),

Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

ole and Evolution of the American Prison System
Explain the Primary ole and Evolution of the American Prison System and Determine if Incarceration educes Crime

The United States constitution is the fundamental foundation of the American criminal justice system. Given that the document is now over two hundred years old, it constantly experiences numerous amendments and interpretations. As a result, the criminal justice system over the years experienced alterations in order to reflect the needs and beliefs of each subsequent generation. The configuration of the modern prison system has its basis in the late 1700's and early 1800s. The development of the modern prison system aims at protecting innocent members of the society from criminals. The prison systems also deter criminals from committing more crimes through detaining and rehabilitating them. However, more and more deluge of white-collar crimes and other crimes, burdens the American criminal justice system and the prison system.…...

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References

Barnes E. Harry. (1921). The Historical of the Prison System in America. Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. Vol. 12, No. 1, May, 1921

Craig Haney. (1998). The Past & Future of U.S. Prison Policy Twenty-Five Years after the Stanford Prison Experiment. American Psychological Association July 1998 Vol. 53, No. 7, 709-727

Dina R. Rose & Todd R. Clear (2006). Incarceration, Social, Capital, & Crime: Implications for Social Disorganization Theory. Volume 36, Issue 3, pages 441-480.

Escresa - Guillermo, Laarni (2011) Reexamining the Role of Incarceration and Stigma in Criminal Law. Law and economics, criminal law, stigma, social norms, behavioral economics.

Certainly! Here are some essay topic ideas related to Barack Obama:

1. Analyzing the major accomplishments and legacy of Barack Obama as President of the United States.
2. Exploring the challenges and obstacles faced by Obama during his presidency and evaluating his responses.
3. Investigating the impact of Obama's healthcare reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), on the American healthcare system.
4. Discussing Obama's approach to foreign policy, focusing on significant events such as the Iran nuclear deal or the Paris Climate Agreement.
5. Examining the Obama administration's efforts to address climate change and promote clean energy.
6. Assessing the economic policies and strategies implemented by....

Title: The Evolution of Correctional Institutions: A Historical Perspective

Introduction:

Provide a brief overview of the history of corrections, highlighting significant eras and developments.
Discuss the changing philosophies and practices of punishment and rehabilitation.
Introduce the concept of the historical perspective and its relevance to understanding contemporary corrections.

Body:

1. The Early Days: Retribution and Punishment:

Explore the historical roots of retribution and punishment as dominant themes in corrections.
Examine the use of corporal punishment, solitary confinement, and other harsh methods.
Discuss the impact of these practices on inmates and the overall effectiveness of corrections.

2. The Rise of Rehabilitation and Reform:

Trace the....

Thesis Statement:

The Lack of Police Equity in America: Historical Context, Current Manifestations, and the Urgent Need for Comprehensive Reform

Introduction:

Police equity, a fundamental principle of a just and democratic society, entails the fair and impartial treatment of all individuals by law enforcement agencies. However, the reality of policing in America falls short of this ideal, with a long history of racial profiling, excessive force, and discriminatory practices. This thesis will delve into the historical context of police inequity, its current manifestations, and the urgent need for comprehensive reform to ensure equal justice under the law.

Historical Context:

The roots of police inequity in....

1. The impact of systemic racism on marginalized communities
2. The role of privilege in perpetuating social injustice
3. The criminalization of poverty and its consequences
4. Discrimination in the criminal justice system
5. Gender-based violence and inequality
6. The effects of income inequality on society
7. Access to healthcare as a social justice issue
8. Environmental racism and its impact on communities of color
9. Education inequities and the cycle of poverty
10. The role of media in perpetuating stereotypes and social injustice.
11. The impact of mass incarceration on communities of color
12. Police brutality and the need for police reform
13. Immigration....