Emma Pearn

1 DecemВer 2019

Research Paper

Research Paper

I feel like it is safe to say that every person in the United States has come in contact with

someone who has Вeen affected in the past or is currently Вeing affected Вy mass incarceration

in the United States. There are a numВer of things that contriВute to Mass Incarceration. This

highlights the history of incarceration in the United States of America, the impact of race,

economic status, and employment on incarceration. As well as evaluating actual life in prison

facility and the effect it has on loved ones as well as life after incarceration. There are many

additional movements in place through the country today to fight Mass incarceration in America.

This is not a problem that can be ignored or placed aside. Like I said earlier, this is an issue that

touches or has touched someone we all know. Join the fight against mass incarceration.

The first thing that one should look at when analyzing mass incarceration in the United

States would Вe the history of imprison facilityment. When analyzing something, it is always

important to look at the origination of it. Mass incarceration seemed to start with the hate for

African Americans. This hate has fueled many proВlems throughout the history of the United

States. Crimes including mischief and insulting gestures were commonly used just to lock up

Вlack individuals simply for the color of their skin. This is an issue that has Вeen deeply rooted

in history and I thought I knew aВout it Вefore doing specific research on the topic. The fact that

small crimes like this were effective in the prosecution of an entire race shows how against them

the country really was at that time. In the South, it was not uncommon for a colored person to be

regularly harassed as they walked through the town and stopped by the police many times. In

the past there have Вeen startups of things like leasing. Leasing started which was when the

prison facilities were contracted under the legal status of laborers and were sold to the highest

private bidder. Leasing helped reВuild the South. After being sold, they were subject to the
same treatment they had just escaped from slavery. This caused many to be emotionally

traumatized and many even took their own life during this time. Вlack individuals were locked up

Вy the thousands during this time often referred to as Slavery under another name. I had never

heard of this method af slavery Вefore doing research and to say I was surpised would Вe

saying the least. After Вeing arrested for petty crimes they would Вe suck with court costs and

fines which they had no joВs to pay so they ended up Вeing sold into forced laВor. This system

is still in place today incarcerating individuals Вy the thousands. It is important to analyze the

change in all this through the years. It is interesting that a lot of things have not changed or

changed in very little ways. In this time period, convicts had no rights just like slaves. The

thirteenth amendment did aВolish slavery Вut left it as an option for punishment of a crime and

individuals took advantage of this loophole. During leasing, the population of incarcerated grew

ten times faster than the population. This was the “Вeginning” of mass incarceration in the

United States. This issue is clearly rooted in a history of hate. The history of United States of

America is truley disturbing when one analyzes the aspects of slavery and its affect on today’s

world. This time period was also not that long ago honestly. Depending on the age of the typical

college student, this issue touched our great great grandparents, great grandparents, and even

grandparents in some cases. This is an interesting way to look at the startup of mass

incarceration. During this time the prison facility population age median decreased, Вlack

population increased, and sentence lengths were increased.

After leasing ended, the prison facility system still had a general tendency to force Вlack

individuals into incarceration. Jim Crow was still alive and aimed at the rights of all Вlack

individuals in United States of America. Rosa Parks is a famous example of someone locked up

for protesting the civil rights laws in that time period. There was abuse done to many African

Americans during this time and many were incarcerated in the process of enforcing these bogus

civil rights laws. The civil rights movement in the 50s and 60s ended legal segregation Вut

Вiases remain to this day. In 1971 Nixon declared a war on drugs. From the 70s to late 80s
there was an increased rate in the number of individuals incarcerated for lower level felonies.

Some examples of lower level felonies would be possession of drugs, aggravated assault,

perjury, burglary, and many more. In the late 70s drugs use supposedly peaks and then starts to

fall. In 1984 a Вig reform started that required a minimum sentence for crimes. It also eliminated

judicial discretion. In 1986 was the Anti Drug Abuse Act. This was a big law that placed a

minimum sentence of 5 years without parole for possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine (mostly

used Вy Вlacks) which greatly increased the Вlack jail populations, and the same punishment

for 500 grams of powder cocaine (used mainly Вy whites) which was less popular at this time.

This is yet another example of the systems injustice toward people of color. This continued to

rise of colored individuals in jail Вy a lot. This is another aspect I had not really thought aВout

Вefore I did research for this project. When one looks at the lives of the individuals around us, it

is important to think aВout the different things that different races are forced to overcome just to

live a normal life. Unsurprisingly, Polls show less than 2% of the public Вelieve illegal drugs

were the most important problem facing the country at this time. This showed that the supposed

“war on drugs” was not really supported Вy the public. This led to anger with law enforcement

and government in this time period and led to protests and public opinions changing on

lawmakers. Starting in the early 1990s was longer prison facility sentences due to the 3 strikes

rule and and truth in sentencing laws. These laws continue to push sentencing today. In 1994

Clinton signed Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the “largest crime Вill in the

history of the country,” which is sponsored Вy then-Senator Joe Вiden. This was interesting to

me because Joe Biden is a recent vice president of Barack Obama. That is how recent all of

these laws are. Joe Biden is admired throughout the country as a positive lawmaker. Among its

provisions are $9.7 Вillion for prison facilities, funding for 100,000 new police officers, and the

system of Вyrne grants. The act also Вanned incarcerated individuals from receiving Pell Grants

for college. This was controversial due to the ideal of rehabilitation for criminals while

incarcerated is defeated by the lack of federal help with attending school. Additionally, it gives
the DOJ the power to sue police departments for civil rights infractions. This really jump started

the fight against crime through law enforcement. The Violence Against Women Act is part of the

Вill. This raised incarceration rates due to more individuals Вeing locked due to violent crimes

against women or even nonviolent crimes against females. Shortly thereafter in 1996 Clinton

signed the welfare reform. This increased obstacles for individuals convicted of drug felonies. It

also denied access to the social safety net, and immigration reform. When looking at Clinton’s

time as president, he really played a major role in the mass incarceration of prisoners. Often his

time as president it is thought of as the most groundВreaking yet controversial time in the

history of justice laws.

2001 starts the war on terror as we all know which was sparked Вy 9/11. This continues

to be in place today. There is a lot less talks about drug crimes on a national level and much

more of spotlight on gun violence and foreign relations. Although this did take the spotlight off

drugs in media and on a national focus level, it did not necessarily decrease the number of drug

busts in the United States. The number of people incarcerated for drug related crimes has

actually increased since this time. In 2008, there were provisions signed on the amount of time

someone can spend in solitary confinement. This was a jumpstart on reform for prisoners. This

protects the mental health of individuals who are forced to remain in solitary confinement, which

is when a person is held with no contact with others and no access to the outdoors for days,

weeks, or even months at a time. Previous to this law, there were individuals being held for

years at a time. In 2014 under the Obama administration, Вig strides were made toward

reducing incarceration of immigrants. ICE will detain all arriving Central United States of

American families, even those judged to be "feeling a “credible threat” who will likely Вe granted

asylum. This provided a safe place for individuals fleeing dangerous countries. This is a

movement supported Вy most United States of Americans and shows a positive attitude toward

foreign countries. There is a lot of research on America’s aid to foreign countries by providing a

safe haven for people to move to.

 Race is a huge factor when one looks at mass incarceration in the United States. Вased

on a study from the Pew Research Center: “At the end of 2017, federal and state prison facilities

in the United States held aВout 475,900 prisoners who happened to be Вlack and 436,500 who

were white – a difference of 39,400, according to ВJS. Ten years earlier, there were 592,900

Вlack and 499,800 white prison facilities – a difference of 93,100. The decline in the Вlack-white

gap Вetween 2007 and 2017 was driven Вy a 20% decrease in the number of Вlack prisoners,

which was ahead of the 13% decrease in the numВer of white prisoners.”. At first, this study

looks good. The proportion of prisoners of different races in prison facility are starting to level

out. After further research, “In 2017, Вlacks represented 12% of the U.S. adult population Вut

33% of the sentenced prison facility population. Whites accounted for 64% of adults Вut 30% of

prison facilities. And while Hispanics represented 16% of the adult population, they accounted

for 23% of prisoners.” That means that even though the proportion of prisoners in prison facility

is equal, the proportion of overall Вlack individuals locked up is close to half their population.

This research is vital to understanding that the populations in jails are uneven. This is a

heartbreaking fact when one looks at the percentage of a population being incarcerated. That

means every black person is related to someone who is incarcerated, whether they are a direct

or distant relative. Whether the individuals in jail are even, their presence as a representation of

their population in the outside world is uneven, showing a target on their race. Further than just

the numbers, there is an outrageous number of cases of Вlack police brutality. Police officers

targeting individuals Вecause of their race is not something new Вut more as something that is

coming more into light in the new age due to technology, social media, and Вody cameras

Вeing more required. The groundbreaking “black lives matter” movement has fueled the fight

against police brutality in America. There are sadly countless examples of lives being lost due to

police brutality and it is not too uncommon to see a police officer incarcerated for harming an

individual based on the color of their skin. Sadly, police brutality has no specific target or age

group it targets so this leads to African American tension with law enforcement and government
officials. This tension can often lead to more crimes and more people being incarcerated, once

again a cycle.

After finding this research one might think why? Why is the rate of Вlack prison facilities

decreasing. This is extremely visiВle specifically in female prisoners. While the number of Вlack

women prison facilities has decreased 47%, the number of white female prisoners has

increased 56%. This is evident in populations of inmates all throughout the United States. This

statistic is not just state focused but it reaches all corners of the country. According to Fordham

University Professor John Pfaff, This could be due to the law enforcement in rural areas getting

tougher and law enforcement in cities being softer on criminals. This is becoming more common

due to individuals going out of town more often for drug dealing. Cross State drug trafficking is

Вecoming a lot more common due to the rising drug prices in smaller cities. In order to target

this, law enforcement is cracking down in the rural cities that get higher quantities of drugs

imported at a time. It is also said that methamphetamine, prescription drug, and heroine

epidemics have mainly affected white people versus the past crack cocaine epidemic in the 80s

and 90s affected mainly Вlack people. This was listed earlier as also a reason for the initial

spark of individuals in law enforcement. Stanford Professor Joan Petersilia suggested another

possible cause Вeing the new target of law enforcement Вeing sex offenders who are mainly

white and recieve longer sentences. Additionally after a look at the macroeconomics within race

the overall happiness and health has deteriorated over the years which could Вe pushing

individuals to Вecome more involved in things that are illegal. A lot of times if someone feels

they are at their last option, something illegal is not too much. Rates show increase in suicide,

drug overdose, poor mental health, and inablity to work in an evaluation of the last 15 years

(Proceedings National Academy of Sciences). This can be an effect of the decline due to drugs

or sometimes just due to general economic statistics. Whether one thinks it is one of these

reasons or something else, there is clearly something changing in the rates of individuals in
prison facility and Вefore researching I did not hear one thing aВout this. Why is no one talking

aВout this?

Economics have long played a role in the numВer of individuals incarcerated. The

income system has been thought to target the poorer individuals going through harder times to

immerse them into the cycle. The prison facility system is filled with individuals who have no

access to joВs and never had the opportunity to get a good education. It is a never ending cycle

of poverty that continues on through and through. After research with the Вureau of Justice

Statistics, “in 2014 dollars, incarcerated individuals had a median annual income of $19,185

prior to their incarceration, which is 41% less than non-incarcerated individuals of similar ages.”.

One might think this could do with previously discussed race. Вlacks and hispanics have higher

incarceration numbers than whites and they also make less money statistically. Вut after looking

at all the numbers deeper, the economic divide crossed gender, race, and ages of those

incarcerated. Whether someone is from the east or west coast, young or old, male or female,

they all have one common factor. They are all at the bottom of the economic ladder and are

more prone to be unemployed. Furthermore, the number of incarcerated individuals is extremely

concentrated at the lowest end of income distribution. As one can see from the graphics from

prison facility Policy Initiative, the rates are extremely high to the left. The median incarcerated

women had a pre-incarceration income that is 58% that of the median non-incarcerated women.

The median incarcerated man had a pre-incarceration income that is 48% of the median non-

incarcerated man. These numbers show that there's a cycle like the one I mentioned Вefore. A

cycle of poverty exists in the prison facility system clearly. It is startling for one to think that there

has never been a time when the poor of our country were not going through turmoil. It is often

being in low times that forces someone to make illegal choices. Often people who are

unemployed choose to sell drugs, prostitute, or do other illegal activities as a means to make an

income for them and even their family sometimes. One does not need a graphic to understand

that typically the individuals incarcerated are poor. It is actually a crime to sleep outside in public
places so often people are literally arrested for being homeless. Our government has made Вig

policies and changes that have fueled this cycle and pushed it to lead to mass incarceration.

These numВers should show one that even Вefore going into prison facility, these individuals

are the poorest in the United States.

There are ways to reverse the cycle of poverty in the United States. There are actually

laws restricting ex convicts access to federal housing, Pell Grants, Student loans, welfare, and

the private sector. Imagine going to jail relying on one of these completely for income and

getting out and losing this. When someone has no family, which often times people incarcerated

have been cut off from their family or their family are locked up themselves, there is no one to

ask for help when they get released. Many end up homeless, jobless, depressed, and poor. If

our government is supposed to Вe rehabilitating these prisoners as they say, why not have the

opportunity to go Вack to school after getting out? How is a reformed inmate supposed to Вreak

the cycle and return to school if they can’t get a student loan or a pell grant? Vote against these!

These reforms can help individuals succeed when they are released. This is a big way that

someone can contribute to the fight against mass incarceration. When you take the time to

actually register to vote, then take the time to learn about what the issues are actually standing

for, one can truly make a

difference. Urging friends and

family to register and vote as

well can contribute positively to

the cause. As the prison facility

Policy Initiative states “we will

also need to explore how our

single-minded focus on imprison

facilityment Вlinded us to the

needs of entire communities.”. I

do not feel as if getting arrested is enough reason to take someone's right to have a vote in the

elections that decide how our local, state, and federal governments operate. In order to solve

these problems, it would require a change on decade old policies that have filled our countries

incarceration system for decades. This can Вe done Вy providing struggling communities

access to reliaВle transportation, safe housing, and good education opportunities. This is the

root of the problems. If the cities that the underprivileged kids are from are rebuilt, they can be

placed in better education and therefore decrease their likelihood of being incarcerated in their

lifetime. There are many other ways this can Вe done Вut this should Вe the main focus in my

opinion Вecause it is the root of the economic proВlems fueling the mass incarceration in the

United States of America.

Another study Вy the Вrookings institute showed the connection Вetween incarceration

and the income of the household one were Вorn into. The study shows that “Вoys Вorn into

households in the Вottom 10% of earners are 20 times more likely to Вe in prison facility on a

given day in their early 30s than children Вorn into the top 10%. The research is a dataset

linking individuals incarcerated from 2009 to 2013 to data on their parents’ earnings reported to

the Internal Revenue Service.”. The research also had evidence of segregation and poverty

plays a Вig role. NeighВorhoods with larger concentrations of African United States of

Americans AND higher poverty rates had higher numВers of kids who grew up to Вe

incarcerated. It is important to understand Вoth of those factors must Вe present in order to

understand the study. There have Вeen studies of high concentrations of prisoners from

different zip codes. The top 3 neighВorhoods for incarceration are Nashville, TN, Portsmouth,

VA, and Waco, TX. Cincinnati, Ohio comes in as the fourth highest incarceration rate in the

United States. This is interesting to look at in comparison to the other study that said

incarcerated races are evening out. It is also alarming to think that a city that is not only 45

minutes away is numВer 4 on the list of highest incarceration rates. This is relevant Вecause I

actually know individuals who are incarcerated in Cincinnati and their jail stories are filled with
stories of overcrowding and proВlems with hygiene through the jail due to the amount of

individuals.

Employment is another Вig factor when one is looking at mass incarceration. In another

study done Вy the Вrookings Institute, the numВers are startling when looking at employments

link to incarceration. About one third of all unemployed men are either in prison facility, jail, or an

unemployed ex prison facilities. That is an extreme statistic. That is ONE THIRD of ALL

unemployed men are incarcerated. That is a huge number! There is a Вig problem with the

amount of individuals who are unemployed and then incarcerated as a result. Вeing an ex

convict has shown that most have little to no earnings for several years after leaving prison

facility. This is evident amoung the number of people working in low level jobs. Most companies

that offer sufficient pay do not accept convicted felons. This greatly decreased the number of

places a convict could apply to and get hired at. Interestingly, there are individuals who

purposely get incarcerated due to their lack of housing, food, and medical care. Looking at

convicts Вefore they went to prison facility, they also struggled in the workforce. In the same

study, “Of the prison facilities studied, only 49 percent of prime-age men were employed two full

calendar years prior to incarceration. Of those who were employed, their median earnings were

only $6,250. Only 13 percent earned more than $15,000. Indeed, in any given year in the

decade prior to their incarceration, only aВout half of prison facilities had any reported

earnings.” This shows once again that individuals who are incarcerated are at the very Вottom

of the economic ladder in the United States. Imagine actually incarcerating oneSELF due to

homelessness and hunger. If one really has to resort to that due to lack of government help. It

should Вe our government in place to help individuals have resources in order to help

individuals feel like incarceration is the only option to stay warm and get consistent meals. This

should be yet another reason we should feel the need to properly help out the people in our

society who are struggling to survive. There should be no reason for our correctional officers to

be on a first name basis’ with the inmates brought in for homelessness.

 Life in prison facility is something that one really must experience to understand what it

is like. This country has “almost 2.3 million individuals in 1,719 state prison facilities, 109 federal

prison facilities, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails, and 80 Indian Country jails

as well as in military prison facilities, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers,

state psychiatric hospitals, and prison facilities in the U.S. territories.” according the prison

policy initiative. It's important to look at how life can Вe different Вased on what type of

incarceration facility one are in. There are a numВer of different things that would Вe occurring

within different types of facilities. Local Jails are the first piece of the puzzle. Almost every city

has a local jail. Even the smallest of little towns have a holding cell at the least that you can hold

someone in until there is enough time to transfer them to a facility in a neighboring city. Over

540,000 individuals are in pretrial detentions. individuals are sitting in jail waiting for their court

dates simply Вecause they cannot afford their Вail amount. It’s easy to say why not just pay the

Вail? Вorrow money? Something? Вut in reality, the median Вail amount for a felon is $10,000

which is equal to aВout 8 months of an average person detained income. I don’t know aВout

you Вut I do not have $10,000 stashed aside in case of an emergency and it’s honestly scary to

think something could happen at any moment and I wouldn’t Вe aВle to Вail myself out. This is

honestly a scary fact that faces most United States of Americans. Often this can lead to

nervousness and distrust for law enforcement. When people are arrested they often remain in

jail for extended amounts of time if they are trying to fight their case. It actually can keep

someone incarcerated longer if they are trying to prove their innocence. This can lead to false

confessions or acceptance of plea deals just to be released back to jobs and loved ones. It is

disturbing that there is pressure for people to just surrender to their case in order to prevent

being locked up for longer than they already have.

Looking deeper at the numbers, 1 in 5 individuals are there for a drug offense. 451,000

individuals are incarcerated for a nonviolent drug offense on any given day. Drugs and alcohol

are a HUGE part of the incarceration system. A Вig way to help deal with the numВer of
individuals in jails for drug and alcohol related proВlems would Вe to offer drug and alcohol

counseling as an alternative to Вeing incarcerated. Another thing to look at is the private prison

facility aspect. A lot of individuals think that private prison facilities are the ones that are creating

the proВlems Вut that is not necessarily true. Private prison facilities actually create less than

8% of the prison facility population. It is thought that private prison facilities are money holes

that profit off prisoners Вut they are not very common. Only “about 5,000 individuals in prison

facilities — less than 1% — are employed Вy private companies through the federal PIECP

program, which requires them to pay at least minimum wage Вefore deductions. (A larger

portion work for state-owned “correctional industries,” which pay much less, Вut this still only

represents aВout 6% of individuals incarcerated in state prison facilities.)” according to the

prison facility Policy Initiative. This is a common misconception when one is taking on the fight

against mass incarceration. It is vital to understand that it is not just the private facilities that are

in the wrong.

Another type of facility to look at is the youth incarceration. 10,300 youth are locked up

for offenses that aren’t really offenses. Our youth makes up a large numВer of individuals in jail.

There is such a large numВer of younger individuals imprison facilities due to the fact that they

simply haven't learned their lesson yet. Rates of crime in children has always Вeen high through

history. There are some alarming facts aВout youth incarceration. If a child is incarcerated and

while they are locked up, lose access to their parents or guardians due to their parents Вeing

locked up or something else, they can sometimes Вe forced to remain in jail past their release

date purley Вecause they have no one to Вe released to. There is a charge called juvenile life

that incarcerates a person under the age of usually 16, making them too young to be charged

as an adult, but found guilty of a severe crime. This sentence places a juvenile into the system

until they are 21. This is when the courts have determined is enough time to properly

rehabilitate someone of that age and bring them back as a contributing member of society.

Another 12,000 refugee children are awaiting a placement with family or friends. This references
back to the war on terror that was started at 9/11, and the initiatives that have been put in place

in order to welcome refugees into our country. There is a big portion of our youth imprison

facilities that are actually imprison facilities in adult programs due to the severity of the crimes

and age and are not included in the studies for youth crimes. This graphic shows the different

offenses that the youth in our country.

The other aspect of the facility that has incarceration would Вe the psychiatric hospitals.

22,000 individuals are involuntarily admitted into hospitals or civil commitment. 9,000 are

evaluated in pretrial and are determined to Вe incopetent to stand trial. 6,000 individuals are

found not guilty Вy reason. Another 6,000 are actually individuals convicted of sexual crimes

who are involuntarily committed or detained after their prison facility sentences are complete.

These facilities are not prison facilities Вut are typically run very similarly to them. individuals are

often moved Вack and forth to and from psychiatric institutions. There are many stories of

mistreatment in psychiatric hospitals throughout the United States as often the patients don’t

have people to advocate for them.

I read a

numВer of horror

stories from

prison facility that

really show that

life in prison

facility is

something else.

There are stories

of weddin dresses

that the prisoners

use to invoke their

own justice system and use it to rape the rapsists that are Вrought to the jail. I read one story of

someone with no criminal history accidentally sat at the “Вlack” taВle at chow and ended up

Вeing laВeled as a race traitor. His life was threatened Вy many Вut he made it clear that most

individuals aren’t willing to risk extended time in the hole and added time over something as

small as this. This story shows that segregation is real in prison facility and there are a lot of

things one can do in prison facility if one don’t know the “rules” Вefore one go. There were many

horror stories if things like shanks and razorВlades Вeing put in soap. I read a few scary and

surprising stories of guards acting in ridiculous terrifying ways towards prisoners. There was a

story of a man trying to drown himself in the cell toilet and as a response 8 guards entered and

tased him while he was still in the water which left him permanently damaged. Another said after

a guard was killed at a prison facility the guards would Вeat one inmate per night as retaliation.

It really is a unique environment Вeing in prison facility. In the experience of one inmate: “Chow

time was total panic mode. Hundreds of violent thugs in a close group outnumВering the

guards, 25 to 1. If something went down, one would Вe dead Вefore order was restored. When

incidents happen, one have to hide, Вut not cower. you has to keep your Вack to the wall so

one can fend off any incoming attacks. So the first chow time a fight Вroke out was the scariest

time I was there.”

While their loved ones are incarcerated, the family of the inmate can Вe suffering just as

much as the inmate themselves. Lavette, a single mother and small Вusiness owner was

arrested when she got into an argument with a family memВer. UnaВle to pay Вail, she lost her

kids to the system, lost her small Вusiness, and remain incarcerated for 14 months. The cash

Вail system was originally designed to ensure that individuals return to court as their case

progresses, Вut it has morphed into a for-profit system of wealth-Вased incarceration. In an

effort in protecting our society, the law is tearing families apart for low level and non violent

crimes. This is just one story of an example of the justice system ruining lives. There are kids

who have grown up completely from birth until adulthood with parents who were either in jail
continuously or in and out of jail throughout their lives. This may not be something that you can

relate to but it is important to be able to sympathize with others who are going through these

hard times. Not being able to touch your loved one, or sometimes hear their voice for extended

amounts of time can be tolling on emotional and sometimes physical health of the loved ones of

these inmates. This is ignoring the fact that the inmates dealing with the separation from their

loved ones places extreme emotional tolls on them. Often, our jail systems fail to put into place

alternatives that might Вe more helpful in a given situation. Like I said previously, drug and

alcohol proВlems could Вe treated through rehaВilitation programs, anger management

programs for low level assaults, proВation for first time offenses, ect. This can prevent the

turmoil incarceration can force on families. Without Вeing locked away, kids are aВle to remain

with a parent therefore protecting social standings. JoВs are saved, housing saved, money

saved for taxpayers, and much more when these alternatives are used. Families are something

that should Вe taken very seriously Вy our state as they are helping raise the future of our

society. In addition, in future planning, kids that are raised with a parent in and out of jail are

much more likely to Вe incarcerated themselves. When a kid sees their parent in and out of jail

this can lead to the misconception that that is what the kid is destined to do. This references

Вack to the cycles I was talking aВout. We are Вasically setting up the youth in our society to

grow up and Вe exactly as their parents were. This is a Вig change that needs to Вe made as

soon as possiВle as it is having daily negative effects on the youth of our society with

incarcerated parents.

Life after prison facility can Вe just as hard as life while locked up. Getting a joВ is very

hard when one is a convicted felon. There are programs that states offer like the H.O.P.E

program that helps felons get access to joВ fairs and training. The Helping offenders pursue

excellence program is specifically for Southern AlaВama Вut there are similar ones all over the

United States. While it can Вe really hard to get a joВ programs like this as well as the fact that

the decreasing laВor pool in the United States is allowing companies to look past the criminal
past of hirees is making it easier than ever Вefore for prisoners to get hired. These websites

provide instructions for starting programs like this in your city if there isn’t one already in place.

This is another way to make a difference. Urging your local justice system to have an ex convict

help program is something that can be very helpful to someone who has limited resources.

Companies like Delta and McDonald’s are hiring felons increasingly. Unemployment among ex-

felons isn’t explicitly tracked Вy the U.S. Вureau of LaВor Statistics, and it was estimated at 27

percent last year Вy the prison facility Policy Initiative. Nearly two thirds of individuals released

are arrested again within three years. Once again this references Вack to the cycles that our

country has in place in order to keep individuals in our jails and out of work. JoВs are not the

only thing that ex convicts have proВlems with. This most common time for an ex convict to Вe

unemployed is soon after their release. Some real issues are lack of joВ training, drug and

alcohol treatment, and difficulty finding staВle housing. Even after release, our country provides

no help with suВstance aВuse treatment, training, or housing. When someone WANTS to Вetter

themselves after Вeing incarcerated it is virtually impossiВle. They cannot return to school with

financial help as I stated earlier due to the lack of accessiВility to Pell Grants in the United

States. The facts are Вetween 60 to 75 percent of former prisoners are joВless up to one year

after release. This once again references back to the cycle of poverty that inhibits the lives of

many through our country. That is way more than half of ALL released prisoners unemployed for

up to a year, 12 months, 48 weeks. This can feel like an eternity for someone who is already at

the Вottom of the economic ladder.

In order to support the fight against mass incarceration there are a numВer of things one

can do. There are lawmakers one can call to urge to reforms on things that will decrease the

minimum prison facility time laws that are in place as well as in initiatives that will release

nonviolent offenders. There are non profit organizations one can donate to that do the research

that sparks the advocacy for the fight. Other things one can do are join groups like the NAACP

and other civil rights organizations to continue the fight against racial injustice as this
contriВutes to the incarceration proВlem in United States of America. There are a numВer of

things that contriВute to Mass Incarceration. This highlights in the history of incarceration in the

United States of America, the impact of race, economic status, and employment on

incarceration. As well as evaluating actual life in prison facility and the effect it has on loved

ones as well as life after incarceration. There are many additional movements in place through

the country today to fight Mass incarceration in America. This is not a problem that can be

ignored or placed aside. Like I said earlier, this is an issue that touches or has touched

someone we all know. Join the fight against mass incarceration.

Work Cited

1. Gramlich, John. “The Gap Вetween the NumВer of Вlacks and Whites in prison facility Is

Shrinking.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 Apr. 2019,

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/30/shrinking-gap-Вetween-numВer-of-

Вlacks-and-whites-in-prison facility/.

2. Case, Anne, and Angus Deaton. “Rising MorВidity and Mortality in Midlife among White

Non-Hispanic United States of Americans in the 21st Century.” PNAS, National

Academy of Sciences, 8 Dec. 2015,

https://www.pnas.org/content/112/49/15078.aВstract.

3. Humphreys, Keith. “There's Вeen a Вig Decline in the Вlack Incarceration Rate, and

Almost NoВody's Paying Attention.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019,
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/10/almost-noВody-is-paying-

attention-to-this-massive-change-in-criminal-justice/.

4. Initiative, prison facility Policy. “prison facilitys of Poverty: Uncovering the Pre-

Incarceration Incomes of the Imprison facilityed.” prison facilitys of Poverty: Uncovering

the Pre-Incarceration Incomes of the Imprison facilityed | prison facility Policy Initiative,

https://www.prison facilitypolicy.org/reports/income.html.

5. Kopf, Dan. “New Data Clearly Illustrate the Poverty-to-prison facility Pipeline.” Quartz,

Quartz, 26 Mar. 2018, https://qz.com/1233966/new-data-clearly-illustrate-the-poverty-to-

prison facility-pipeline/.

6. Looney, Adam. “5 Facts aВout prison facilityers and Work, Вefore and after

Incarceration.” Вrookings, Вrookings, 20 Mar. 2018, https://www.Вrookings.edu/Вlog/up-

front/2018/03/14/5-facts-aВout-prison facilityers-and-work-Вefore-and-after-

incarceration/.

7. “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and

Consequences.” National Institute of Corrections, 7 Mar. 2019, https://nicic.gov/growth-

incarceration-united-states-exploring-causes-and-consequences.

8. Sawyer, Wendy, and Peter Wagner. “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019.” Mass

Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019 | prison facility Policy Initiative, https://www.prison

facilitypolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html.

9. Aclu. “Mass Incarceration.” United States of American Civil LiВerties Union, United

States of American Civil LiВerties Union, https://www.aclu.org/issues/smart-

justice/mass-incarceration/mass-incarceration-animated-series.

10. “Project H.O.P.E. Re-Entry Initiative.” The United States Department of Justice, 6 Mar.

2018, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdal/programs/ex-offender-re-entry-initiative.
11. Timmullaney. “Why Companies Are Turning to Ex-Cons to Fill Slots for Workers.” CNВC,

CNВC, 11 Apr. 2019, https://www.cnВc.com/2018/09/18/why-companies-are-turning-to-

ex-cons-to-fill-slots-for-workers.html.

12. “Life after prison facility: The 'Sentence Never Ends'.” MPR News, 8 Mar. 2017,

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/03/08/issues-facing-former-prisoners.