Cheyenne S. 1. Prison overcrowding has become growing social problem due to the tough sentencing of non-violent offenders. This is a public issue because it threatens our security by limiting our Justice Department funding and focusing on offenders that are not an immediate threat to members of society (i.e. murders and sex offenders). Not only has the overcrowding affected us economically by using up money that is needed for law enforcement resources but it is also a civil rights issue. Racial discrimination has contributed to the amount of non-violent prisoners seeing as there is a lack of white offenders arrested on charges such as drug possession or selling drugs. 2. The functionalist theorist would, I believe, agree that there is much need for sentencing reform. By letting out non-violent offenders through clemency we will be saving money that will be used to create more law enforcement jobs. Also, since selling drugs is a popular offense among these non-violent prisoners whose families were used to living off of that money they will have that person to contribute financially again (whether it is through selling drugs again or a legit job). 3. I chose this topic because I want to work within the criminal justice system. I think that having this sentencing reform to let out non-violent offenders should be implemented. It is a good solution to the overcrowding of prisons and will help create more law enforcement resources that could be used to find the people who are violent and shown are a threat to society. This will save lives by having the means to focus on arresting violent offenders and many families who have a non-violent offender in prison will be able to have them back sooner than expected.
1. The NPR article was about how the Obama administration is coming together to figure out a better way to lessen the drug law breakers from being behind bars from old drug laws that were created in the past. The National Association of U.S. Attorneys is trying their best to put this clemency in action and decrease the prison inmates with not too high drug sentences and for them to be sent out early and retroactive. I think this is a problem because the issue goes under two areas that we still deal with today: race and economy. As mentioned in the article, “civil rights issue, because so many of these charges disproportionately impact people of color - particularly African-American men and Latino men, as opposed to white defendants.” Race has been and still is a social problem that we deal with today with Muslims being recalled as terrorists, Armenians being considered working under fraudulent activities, and so on. With the economy comes budget crises and finding that balance of working through money. Labeling theory really helped me understand this situation. Basically labeling theory defines certain individuals and acts as criminal and African Americans and Latino men have been very well highlighted during the crack epidemic.
2. Internationalist would say that they examine the breakdown of the labeling theory. They highlight that what’s important isn't the criminals or their acts, but rather the audience that labels the persons or their acts as criminal. It is interesting to see that they are finally going back and really figuring out that these drug lawbreakers are serving time for too long and need to be out there getting their life together. I do not agree that this goes towards any other felony or super hard core drug smugglers. Right there are different types of crimes. This article really focuses on the “low level, non-violent drug offenders.” The audiences were the politicians, congressmen, and government that created these laws during the crack epidemic and there has not been this big change for the overcrowding of prison inmates until now.
3. I think this is a great step forward and I really do hope that more and more red states get involved in the clemency plead for these low level drug offenders and be able to decrease the overcrowding. Honestly it’s about time the Obama administration or any president administration for that matter; find a solution to this prison overcrowd. It really caught my attention to see there might be some good changes coming forward. I have always been fascinated by law enforcement and would enjoy to be working alongside an officer one day through the eyes of a possible social worker. Honestly the only solution my mind is on is to get these prison inmates a type of program for them to adjust back to living in a much unguarded area. Because we have to remember these inmates have been in prison for years and now they have a chance to get back in the world and it won’t happen overnight. I think the program should be mandatory to see that they are mentally capable of getting out in the field and hopefully help them be able to at least find a job once they are out of prison and just overall be emotionally ready to be back in the world.
1. The article is about the problem of overcrowded prisons and what the president and congress want do about it. Old drug laws sent many non-violent offenders to jail, so President Obama is urging some of the criminals to apply for clemency. The issue of imprisonment is no longer just a problem for the individual prisoners. Overcrowding has caused a strain on the budget of the Justice Department, which is what prompted the actions taken to help alleviate the problem. With the money that is wasted on these non-violent offenders, the Justice department could spend it on public safety, making prison overcrowding a problem of security as well. Also, as President Obama has stated, a lot of charges impact people of color disproportionately. So far, prison overcrowding leads to civil rights and economic issues. I can apply the rational choice theory to this story, as many offenders are driven by economic reasons, as well as labeling theory, as law makers are the ones who established and defined the old drug laws in the first place.
2. Conflict theorists would claim that those who were sent to prison for non-violent drug offences for so long is because those in power deemed their act as illegal and unwanted. Therefore, prisons are a way to rehabilitate them to conform to what the lawmakers say is the proper way to act. Furthermore, because whites are the dominant race within America, it is no surprise that African Americans and Latinos are victimized much more than the whites.
3. I chose this topic because it relates to my interests in working within the law enforcement field. I believe that the changes proposed by congress and President Obama are long overdue and a welcomed topic of discussion. One solution I could think of is something that California wants to do. With some of the money saved from these acts, they could use a portion to fund schools for the areas most affected by drug crimes, or to fund proper rehabilitation centers, as prisons have proven not to work well to that end. I believe doing that would lessen the chances of people turning to drug related crimes in the future.
Kelly A. The reason this issue is a social problem is because of the large number of inmates who are serving extreme sentences for non violent offenses. Most offenses are drug related due to the whole "war on drugs." This has created an overflow in prisons and county jails costing tax payers a large amount of money. So much money is being used that police task force has to limit the amount of employees that they can have. This increases the rate of violent crime as there are a few agents and officers who are actually patrolling city streets. A theory that can be applied to this social problem is the person blame theory. An individual caught committing a crime is seen as bad and is reprimanded by punishment. They are seen as bad people with bad morals and are considered bad for society. Therefore this leads prosecutors to making them serve prison or jail time instead of analyzing the situation and determining if they are simply a product of their enviornment. A conflict theorist would say that this is a way to continue the oppression of minorities. In the NPR article it claims that many of these offenders are Latino and African American. The superior group, through sentencing gets to label these inmates as felons preventing them from advancing in their lives. Ultimately the only ones who benefit from this situation are those in the superior group. Through incarceration and labeling there is less competition for jobs, & ultimately a society prominently of their race and class. In my opinion I believe that there should be an early release for non violent offenders because it will allow more money to come into cities that need it, such as cities in poverty who do experience more theft and drug selling due to the fact that people need to make income. However I do beli eve there needs to be some sort of punishment such as attending rehab centers or meetings or implementing getting a job in order to find a different way of income. This will create more jobs, less drug sales, less incarceration ulto matey leading to more money for the city and state.
This is a problem because unnecessary money is being spend on a problem that can be fixed. Also, not everyone is agreeing with the reform. For example, the National Association of U.S Attorneys . The Association argues that the charging decision on inmates should be made by prosecutor and not lawmakers. Increasing the possibilities of not reforming because many doubt if such claim should be considered or not. Others object and say that only African Americans and Latinos will be impacted by the reform and not white defendants making it a civil right issue if offenders plead for clemency if convicted because of drugs. Labeling theory as define in the text book is that the criminal isn't important but rather society that labels the person or their acts as criminal, helped me have a better understanding about the reasons of over crowded prisons.
An interactionist would say that society will always have an expectation for everything and everyone. If someone is label as a criminal because of drugs most individuals will expect for such person to be put in jail and should not be released anytime soon. Everyone has different understandings on how to view an issue but most do not conclude that inmates in prison take up one-third of the whole funding for the justice department as stated in the audio. That is a lot of money used for prison instead of spending it to build more schools to educate children's and perhaps lessen the chances of becoming criminals themselves as they grow older.
In my point of view, I think that keeping so many non-violent offenders behind bars is a waste of money. Why? As asserted in the audio if this continues and no reform is made there would be less money to hire FBI's and DEA's increasing the possibilities of having more psycho path and others who are actually a danger to society. I commented on this topic because anything that involves the criminal justice system is very interesting. The pros, cons, reasons, and solutions to problems in this field are fun to know and be a part of. A solution to this problem can be that those in doubt to reform the law should stop thinking so much about the reasons of why reform should not be consider and instead think of how it can help and benefit society if a change is made. For example, as mentioned above creating more schools for our future generations to educate, inform, and help reduce crime rates. As well as, creating programs to reduce recidivism for convicts who are in need of help to stay out of prison.
Justine G. In response to Cheyenne’s comment… 1. Yes I agree with what Cheyenne said because many of the inmates in prisons are those who have not committed heinous crimes. Therefore, the prisons become overcrowded and we spend extra finances in an area in our economy which can be easily fixed with a change of policy. What stood out to me was when Cheyenne wrote that we should focus specifically on those who are an immediate threat to our society. This stood out to me because it is an important observation that would help our society thrive if changed. I chose to comment on Cheyenne’s comment because she had some positive insight on the topic of overcrowding that interested me. I think that prison overcrowding is an interesting topic that could be dealt with in a relative simple way. With reducing non-violent inmates. This is a social problem because it affects our finances from being spread out. It also affects the inmates who are forced to live so close to other inmates which is immoral. 2. A conflict theorist would say that inmates are sent to prison for a reason and their prison time reflects their crime. Therefore, if a criminal is sent to prison even if it is per say for selling drugs his sentence short or long was earned and they must deal with however long their sentence could be. A conflict theorist would say this because they would want drug dealers or anyone who breaks the law to stay in jail to keep them out of the streets they live in. 3. I think that Cheyenne’s solution is very plausible and should be put into effect to help our economy thrive. However, I think more needs to put into action for her solution to be fully realistic. Therefore, I would like to add onto her solution by making these people sentencing be more focused on parole. Extending parole will help people stay on track and keep more people out of jail.
Tony S. In response to Vaneh H. 1. I do agree with Vaneh. She points out a couple really good theories in which the old laws target certain demographics with these drug laws in order to keep the whites in power. The media and law enforcement definitely exploit African Americans and Latinos when it comes to drug offenses. I commented on Vaneh's post because i find this topic appealing and her post was well thought out and she touched on things I feel like I would have said if I were to write on this topic. The labeling theory especially. I am torn on this topic. Part of me sees the good in releasing these prisoners, yet I also see the bad in it. The good is the prisons immediately become less crowded and our budget isn't taken up soo much, which in turn allows us to hire more cops, agents, and provide better services. The bad I see is that prison often changes the way people carry themselves. What I mean by that is an individual could have went to prison for a drug offense, spent 77 years there, and during that time had to toughen up to survive, They often being that way of life back to the streets once they're released. The immediate influx in having these individuals back on the street is that a vast number of these people are going to go right back to selling drugs and living that prison lifestyle. This becomes a social problem because with more drug dealers on the streets, drugs become cheaper and more accessible making more people drug addicts, crime rates going up, and these prisoners possibly going right back to jail. 2. A Functionalist would say a few things about this topic. The first is that crime is a dysfunction to society. WHen those people commit crimes, they are dealt with accordingly. There are laws and rules in place to help prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. They would also say that these prisoners would be able to get out, get a job, and begin contributing to society. WIth a job, paying taxes, and not sitting in jail eating up tax dollars and part of the budget. With the decrease in spending on prisoners, we would be able to increase positions in the police department, FBI, CIA, and every other law component covered under the same budget. WIth more cops in place to prevent and react to broken laws, society would be even less tempted to break them. 3. My solution proposal would be to release first time, low level drug cases, that haven't been in prison too long first to see the effects they have on society and the way the prison acclimates to less prisoners. I choose this proposal for a few reasons. If they haven't been in prison too long then they haven't fully been acclimated to the prison culture which means they won't carry the kill or be killed mentality back to society. If they are a first time offender, the chances are less that they will return to the drug life than a multiple time offender for the same thing. These people haven't learned that drug related crime isn't tolerated and they are more likely to end right back in prison. I would target low level drug cases as well. What I mean by that is somebody that only had enough drugs to just barely make it a felony. I wouldn't even consider releasing somebody high on the drug chain early to free up space in prison.
Anonymouse said.. Lida G. In response to Vaheh's comment. I agree with Vahe's comment, prison overcrowding has become a serious problem in America.Some of the solutions to prison overwroding focus on increasing prison capacity. This includes the construction of new prisons, and the conversion of space within existing facilities that has been used for other purposes into prison space. However, as Vahe said many offenders are driven by economic reasons, as well as labeling theory, as law makers are the ones who established and defined the old drug laws in the first place. Interactionist perspective there are different kinds of prisoners, there are different races in the prison. It is not easy to control different races in the crowded prison. i think there are different kind of solution about crowded prisoners, one of the solution is to build more places for prisoners because crowded prisoners make more problems such as fighting each other and more.
Yun, yangil Respond to Vaheh M. 1. I agree with your opinion because you pointed out exactly that prison overcrowding has caused long lasting budgetary problems and been one of the aspects of racial discrimination. Fortunately, California constituents chose to vote for the Proposition 47 by big margin, which will allow non-violent drug offenders who were sentenced long-term imprisonment because of old drug laws that mandate minimal sentence regardless of the magnitude of drug use, possession, or trading to get early release. The crucial factors that underlying this ballot result are concerns about both money and discrimination. There is an interesting fact; the population of the U.S. represents only 5% of the world, but the incarcerated number represents about 25% of the world’s imprisoned population. Because of this irrational mandatory sentencing laws, non-violent, low-level drug offenders has been incarcerated, they make up more than half of all federal prisoners. Some critics argue that the rate of expenditures per inmate will be about ten times that of expenditures per students. This abnormal criminal justice system has contributed to the current ineffective funding system which needs to be reformed to improve public spheres, especially in the sphere of health care, education, housing, and poverty. Another problem to be considered is discrimination. For example, if one is young and poor Black person who lives with his single mom/ father at a rented apartment in central urban area, then chances are substantially higher for his victimization. Why? In my opinion, labeling theory can explain it better than other perspectives. 2. Interactionist would argue that society labels certain persons or acts as criminal. Prison overcrowding by non-violent drug offenders, budget abuse or misuse, and great number of African American or Latino inmates are all the result of labeling and our conceptualization on offenders and victims. Also, they insist that media also have contributed to the consolidation of this stereotype by racialized imagery, which means that one who is related to the crack epidemic, then he will be Blacks or Latinos. 3. Your suggested solution is: budget saved from these acts can be used to fund schools for the areas most affected by drug crimes, or to fund proper rehabilitation centers. I agree to your solution because I think budget mainly composed of property tax, income tax, and sales tax should be used for enhancing our quality of lives. The reality that budget has been poured into prisons, and especially non-violent drug offenders who don’t have to stay such a long period comparing to their low-level offense should be improved. My solution is this; like California Proposition 47, every state has to move forward to the creation of parole or early release system for non-violent drug offenders, and the laws that have mandatory sentencing should be revised into half the current sentence.
I agree with the fact that this is an overwhelmingly controversial social issue. Prisons are experiencing a capacity and funding issue to support the amount of prisoners we incarcerate throughout our country, and continuing to prosecute low level criminals using these outdated drug laws are becoming excessive and unnecessary. During the peak of the "war on drugs," when the crack epidemic emerged, there was a huge difference in the sentencing policy when comparing crack to cocaine, the ratio was noticeably higher for crack sentences. This relates to what you said about the fact that the criminal justice system targets minorities more than whites, because more African-Americans tend to use crack. I think it was interesting that you brought up the person blame theory as well. Through the help of media, society shapes a negative view towards people charged with these lower level, non-violent drug crimes. And people tend to look past the outside "forces" that pressure people into dealing or using these drugs, and just label them outright as these vicious criminals. From a functionalist perspective, this system supports a cycle that continues to place whites above minority groups. Because crack users tend to be people within a minority group, they are given a lengthier sentence as compared to their white counterparts. In addition, giving these longer sentences takes away from the tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere, such as hiring more law enforcement officers or maybe funding programs for drug users for after they are released. I agree somewhat to Kelly's solution proposal. I do agree to the fact that the low-level drug cases should plead for clemency and be released sooner. This would relieve the issue of overcrowding to some degree. I do, however, find it necessary to implement some type of mandatory program in place for previously incarcerated drug users. If we do not help fix the issue on a micro level, the cycle will just continue, and these offenders will keep breaking laws and eventually be back in prison again. Our government pays more attention to punishment rather than the real issue.
Bianka Saabedra I response to Cheyenne S. 1. I agree with Cheyenne oh the idea that it’s becoming a social problem because of the overcrowding of the prisons. This is due to them incarcerating nonviolent criminals which ends up having a toll on the tax payers. It also affects the people who have family members in prison for things such as drug possession. With the majority of the criminals arrested for these crimes living in low income communities they have no other way to come up with the monthly bill payments. Their constant crimes they don’t have clean records and then when it comes to employers hiring them they overlook their request. 2. The conflict theorist would believe that due to the fact that people part of certain minorities and social standing have a disadvantage when it comes down to them being arrested more frequently. Police officers tend to have certain stereotypes against minority groups by associating them with deviant behavior. This will also affect them when it comes to paying a good lawyer that would get them out with a fine. 3. I believe that there is need for the sentencing reform this would solve many of the issues by setting free most of the nonviolent criminals. However, at the same time by letting out theses criminals who have a chance to learn other techniques in committing the crimes into the community is not such a great idea. They will end up influencing today’s teens into committing the same deviant behaviors. By instigating them into gangs and convincing them to sell drugs etc.
In response to Cheyenne S. Evan W. Prison crowding has indeed become a pressing problem in the criminal justice system. However, non-violent criminals can still be dangerous. When we look at it from a symbolic interactionalist persepctive, prison has its own culture sensibly called, "Prison Culture". Just like any culture, it socializes or in this case re-socializes inmates to the norms and values associated with said culture. Even non-violent inmates are immersed into this culture and it affects their behavior. By observing how the tough inmates have respect, they realize they have to go under a similar transformation to be accepted into the culture. Labeling theory will make this worse as you are officially labeled as a convict which will make finding a respectable job harder if you are released. This all leads to Anomie theory where the non-violent inmate resorts to crime because he or she is unable to acquire the necessary resources to survive. This also subconsciously fueled by their observation of how the most dangerous criminals in the prison are the most feared or respected. A way to fix this problem would be to adjust laws or add regulations to prevent the overcrowding of prisons with low-level offenders. Removing or amending any laws similar to the 3 Strikes Law would also contribute to preventing prisons from being overcrowded. Another thing that could be done is re-prioritizing which crimes are important to stop. For example, Marijuana is on the top of the FBI's list for illegal substances even though it is nowhere near as dangerous as other drugs which are lower priority.
12 comments:
Cheyenne S.
1. Prison overcrowding has become growing social problem due to the tough sentencing of non-violent offenders. This is a public issue because it threatens our security by limiting our Justice Department funding and focusing on offenders that are not an immediate threat to members of society (i.e. murders and sex offenders). Not only has the overcrowding affected us economically by using up money that is needed for law enforcement resources but it is also a civil rights issue. Racial discrimination has contributed to the amount of non-violent prisoners seeing as there is a lack of white offenders arrested on charges such as drug possession or selling drugs.
2. The functionalist theorist would, I believe, agree that there is much need for sentencing reform. By letting out non-violent offenders through clemency we will be saving money that will be used to create more law enforcement jobs. Also, since selling drugs is a popular offense among these non-violent prisoners whose families were used to living off of that money they will have that person to contribute financially again (whether it is through selling drugs again or a legit job).
3. I chose this topic because I want to work within the criminal justice system. I think that having this sentencing reform to let out non-violent offenders should be implemented. It is a good solution to the overcrowding of prisons and will help create more law enforcement resources that could be used to find the people who are violent and shown are a threat to society. This will save lives by having the means to focus on arresting violent offenders and many families who have a non-violent offender in prison will be able to have them back sooner than expected.
Vaneh H.
1. The NPR article was about how the Obama administration is coming together to figure out a better way to lessen the drug law breakers from being behind bars from old drug laws that were created in the past. The National Association of U.S. Attorneys is trying their best to put this clemency in action and decrease the prison inmates with not too high drug sentences and for them to be sent out early and retroactive. I think this is a problem because the issue goes under two areas that we still deal with today: race and economy. As mentioned in the article, “civil rights issue, because so many of these charges disproportionately impact people of color - particularly African-American men and Latino men, as opposed to white defendants.” Race has been and still is a social problem that we deal with today with Muslims being recalled as terrorists, Armenians being considered working under fraudulent activities, and so on. With the economy comes budget crises and finding that balance of working through money. Labeling theory really helped me understand this situation. Basically labeling theory defines certain individuals and acts as criminal and African Americans and Latino men have been very well highlighted during the crack epidemic.
2. Internationalist would say that they examine the breakdown of the labeling theory. They highlight that what’s important isn't the criminals or their acts, but rather the audience that labels the persons or their acts as criminal. It is interesting to see that they are finally going back and really figuring out that these drug lawbreakers are serving time for too long and need to be out there getting their life together. I do not agree that this goes towards any other felony or super hard core drug smugglers. Right there are different types of crimes. This article really focuses on the “low level, non-violent drug offenders.” The audiences were the politicians, congressmen, and government that created these laws during the crack epidemic and there has not been this big change for the overcrowding of prison inmates until now.
3. I think this is a great step forward and I really do hope that more and more red states get involved in the clemency plead for these low level drug offenders and be able to decrease the overcrowding. Honestly it’s about time the Obama administration or any president administration for that matter; find a solution to this prison overcrowd. It really caught my attention to see there might be some good changes coming forward. I have always been fascinated by law enforcement and would enjoy to be working alongside an officer one day through the eyes of a possible social worker. Honestly the only solution my mind is on is to get these prison inmates a type of program for them to adjust back to living in a much unguarded area. Because we have to remember these inmates have been in prison for years and now they have a chance to get back in the world and it won’t happen overnight. I think the program should be mandatory to see that they are mentally capable of getting out in the field and hopefully help them be able to at least find a job once they are out of prison and just overall be emotionally ready to be back in the world.
Vaheh M.
1. The article is about the problem of overcrowded prisons and what the president and congress want do about it. Old drug laws sent many non-violent offenders to jail, so President Obama is urging some of the criminals to apply for clemency. The issue of imprisonment is no longer just a problem for the individual prisoners. Overcrowding has caused a strain on the budget of the Justice Department, which is what prompted the actions taken to help alleviate the problem. With the money that is wasted on these non-violent offenders, the Justice department could spend it on public safety, making prison overcrowding a problem of security as well. Also, as President Obama has stated, a lot of charges impact people of color disproportionately. So far, prison overcrowding leads to civil rights and economic issues. I can apply the rational choice theory to this story, as many offenders are driven by economic reasons, as well as labeling theory, as law makers are the ones who established and defined the old drug laws in the first place.
2. Conflict theorists would claim that those who were sent to prison for non-violent drug offences for so long is because those in power deemed their act as illegal and unwanted. Therefore, prisons are a way to rehabilitate them to conform to what the lawmakers say is the proper way to act. Furthermore, because whites are the dominant race within America, it is no surprise that African Americans and Latinos are victimized much more than the whites.
3. I chose this topic because it relates to my interests in working within the law enforcement field. I believe that the changes proposed by congress and President Obama are long overdue and a welcomed topic of discussion. One solution I could think of is something that California wants to do. With some of the money saved from these acts, they could use a portion to fund schools for the areas most affected by drug crimes, or to fund proper rehabilitation centers, as prisons have proven not to work well to that end. I believe doing that would lessen the chances of people turning to drug related crimes in the future.
Kelly A.
The reason this issue is a social problem is because of the large number of inmates who are serving extreme sentences for non violent offenses. Most offenses are drug related due to the whole "war on drugs." This has created an overflow in prisons and county jails costing tax payers a large amount of money. So much money is being used that police task force has to limit the amount of employees that they can have. This increases the rate of violent crime as there are a few agents and officers who are actually patrolling city streets. A theory that can be applied to this social problem is the person blame theory. An individual caught committing a crime is seen as bad and is reprimanded by punishment. They are seen as bad people with bad morals and are considered bad for society. Therefore this leads prosecutors to making them serve prison or jail time instead of analyzing the situation and determining if they are simply a product of their enviornment. A conflict theorist would say that this is a way to continue the oppression of minorities. In the NPR article it claims that many of these offenders are Latino and African American. The superior group, through sentencing gets to label these inmates as felons preventing them from advancing in their lives. Ultimately the only ones who benefit from this situation are those in the superior group. Through incarceration and labeling there is less competition for jobs, & ultimately a society prominently of their race and class. In my opinion I believe that there should be an early release for non violent offenders because it will allow more money to come into cities that need it, such as cities in poverty who do experience more theft and drug selling due to the fact that people need to make income. However I do beli eve there needs to be some sort of punishment such as attending rehab centers or meetings or implementing getting a job in order to find a different way of income. This will create more jobs, less drug sales, less incarceration ulto matey leading to more money for the city and state.
Jennyfer L.
This is a problem because unnecessary money is being spend on a problem that can be fixed. Also, not everyone is agreeing with the reform. For example, the National Association of U.S Attorneys . The Association argues that the charging decision on inmates should be made by prosecutor and not lawmakers. Increasing the possibilities of not reforming because many doubt if such claim should be considered or not. Others object and say that only African Americans and Latinos will be impacted by the reform and not white defendants making it a civil right issue if offenders plead for clemency if convicted because of drugs. Labeling theory as define in the text book is that the criminal isn't important but rather society that labels the person or their acts as criminal, helped me have a better understanding about the reasons of over crowded prisons.
An interactionist would say that society will always have an expectation for everything and everyone. If someone is label as a criminal because of drugs most individuals will expect for such person to be put in jail and should not be released anytime soon. Everyone has different understandings on how to view an issue but most do not conclude that inmates in prison take up one-third of the whole funding for the justice department as stated in the audio. That is a lot of money used for prison instead of spending it to build more schools to educate children's and perhaps lessen the chances of becoming criminals themselves as they grow older.
In my point of view, I think that keeping so many non-violent offenders behind bars is a waste of money. Why? As asserted in the audio if this continues and no reform is made there would be less money to hire FBI's and DEA's increasing the possibilities of having more psycho path and others who are actually a danger to society. I commented on this topic because anything that involves the criminal justice system is very interesting. The pros, cons, reasons, and solutions to problems in this field are fun to know and be a part of. A solution to this problem can be that those in doubt to reform the law should stop thinking so much about the reasons of why reform should not be consider and instead think of how it can help and benefit society if a change is made. For example, as mentioned above creating more schools for our future generations to educate, inform, and help reduce crime rates. As well as, creating programs to reduce recidivism for convicts who are in need of help to stay out of prison.
Justine G.
In response to Cheyenne’s comment…
1. Yes I agree with what Cheyenne said because many of the inmates in prisons are those who have not committed heinous crimes. Therefore, the prisons become overcrowded and we spend extra finances in an area in our economy which can be easily fixed with a change of policy. What stood out to me was when Cheyenne wrote that we should focus specifically on those who are an immediate threat to our society. This stood out to me because it is an important observation that would help our society thrive if changed. I chose to comment on Cheyenne’s comment because she had some positive insight on the topic of overcrowding that interested me. I think that prison overcrowding is an interesting topic that could be dealt with in a relative simple way. With reducing non-violent inmates. This is a social problem because it affects our finances from being spread out. It also affects the inmates who are forced to live so close to other inmates which is immoral.
2. A conflict theorist would say that inmates are sent to prison for a reason and their prison time reflects their crime. Therefore, if a criminal is sent to prison even if it is per say for selling drugs his sentence short or long was earned and they must deal with however long their sentence could be. A conflict theorist would say this because they would want drug dealers or anyone who breaks the law to stay in jail to keep them out of the streets they live in.
3. I think that Cheyenne’s solution is very plausible and should be put into effect to help our economy thrive. However, I think more needs to put into action for her solution to be fully realistic. Therefore, I would like to add onto her solution by making these people sentencing be more focused on parole. Extending parole will help people stay on track and keep more people out of jail.
Tony S.
In response to Vaneh H.
1. I do agree with Vaneh. She points out a couple really good theories in which the old laws target certain demographics with these drug laws in order to keep the whites in power. The media and law enforcement definitely exploit African Americans and Latinos when it comes to drug offenses. I commented on Vaneh's post because i find this topic appealing and her post was well thought out and she touched on things I feel like I would have said if I were to write on this topic. The labeling theory especially. I am torn on this topic. Part of me sees the good in releasing these prisoners, yet I also see the bad in it. The good is the prisons immediately become less crowded and our budget isn't taken up soo much, which in turn allows us to hire more cops, agents, and provide better services. The bad I see is that prison often changes the way people carry themselves. What I mean by that is an individual could have went to prison for a drug offense, spent 77 years there, and during that time had to toughen up to survive, They often being that way of life back to the streets once they're released. The immediate influx in having these individuals back on the street is that a vast number of these people are going to go right back to selling drugs and living that prison lifestyle. This becomes a social problem because with more drug dealers on the streets, drugs become cheaper and more accessible making more people drug addicts, crime rates going up, and these prisoners possibly going right back to jail.
2. A Functionalist would say a few things about this topic. The first is that crime is a dysfunction to society. WHen those people commit crimes, they are dealt with accordingly. There are laws and rules in place to help prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. They would also say that these prisoners would be able to get out, get a job, and begin contributing to society. WIth a job, paying taxes, and not sitting in jail eating up tax dollars and part of the budget. With the decrease in spending on prisoners, we would be able to increase positions in the police department, FBI, CIA, and every other law component covered under the same budget. WIth more cops in place to prevent and react to broken laws, society would be even less tempted to break them.
3. My solution proposal would be to release first time, low level drug cases, that haven't been in prison too long first to see the effects they have on society and the way the prison acclimates to less prisoners. I choose this proposal for a few reasons. If they haven't been in prison too long then they haven't fully been acclimated to the prison culture which means they won't carry the kill or be killed mentality back to society. If they are a first time offender, the chances are less that they will return to the drug life than a multiple time offender for the same thing. These people haven't learned that drug related crime isn't tolerated and they are more likely to end right back in prison. I would target low level drug cases as well. What I mean by that is somebody that only had enough drugs to just barely make it a felony. I wouldn't even consider releasing somebody high on the drug chain early to free up space in prison.
Anonymouse said..
Lida G.
In response to Vaheh's comment.
I agree with Vahe's comment, prison overcrowding has become a serious problem in America.Some of the solutions to prison overwroding focus on increasing prison capacity. This includes the construction of new prisons, and the conversion of space within existing facilities that has been used for other purposes into prison space. However, as Vahe said many offenders are driven by economic reasons, as well as labeling theory, as law makers are the ones who established and defined the old drug laws in the first place.
Interactionist perspective there are different kinds of prisoners, there are different races in the prison. It is not easy to control different races in the crowded prison. i think there are different kind of solution about crowded prisoners, one of the solution is to build more places for prisoners because crowded prisoners make more problems such as fighting each other and more.
Yun, yangil
Respond to Vaheh M.
1. I agree with your opinion because you pointed out exactly that prison overcrowding has caused long lasting budgetary problems and been one of the aspects of racial discrimination. Fortunately, California constituents chose to vote for the Proposition 47 by big margin, which will allow non-violent drug offenders who were sentenced long-term imprisonment because of old drug laws that mandate minimal sentence regardless of the magnitude of drug use, possession, or trading to get early release. The crucial factors that underlying this ballot result are concerns about both money and discrimination. There is an interesting fact; the population of the U.S. represents only 5% of the world, but the incarcerated number represents about 25% of the world’s imprisoned population. Because of this irrational mandatory sentencing laws, non-violent, low-level drug offenders has been incarcerated, they make up more than half of all federal prisoners. Some critics argue that the rate of expenditures per inmate will be about ten times that of expenditures per students. This abnormal criminal justice system has contributed to the current ineffective funding system which needs to be reformed to improve public spheres, especially in the sphere of health care, education, housing, and poverty. Another problem to be considered is discrimination. For example, if one is young and poor Black person who lives with his single mom/ father at a rented apartment in central urban area, then chances are substantially higher for his victimization. Why? In my opinion, labeling theory can explain it better than other perspectives.
2. Interactionist would argue that society labels certain persons or acts as criminal. Prison overcrowding by non-violent drug offenders, budget abuse or misuse, and great number of African American or Latino inmates are all the result of labeling and our conceptualization on offenders and victims. Also, they insist that media also have contributed to the consolidation of this stereotype by racialized imagery, which means that one who is related to the crack epidemic, then he will be Blacks or Latinos.
3. Your suggested solution is: budget saved from these acts can be used to fund schools for the areas most affected by drug crimes, or to fund proper rehabilitation centers. I agree to your solution because I think budget mainly composed of property tax, income tax, and sales tax should be used for enhancing our quality of lives. The reality that budget has been poured into prisons, and especially non-violent drug offenders who don’t have to stay such a long period comparing to their low-level offense should be improved. My solution is this; like California Proposition 47, every state has to move forward to the creation of parole or early release system for non-violent drug offenders, and the laws that have mandatory sentencing should be revised into half the current sentence.
Brianna P.
In response to Kelly...
I agree with the fact that this is an overwhelmingly controversial social issue. Prisons are experiencing a capacity and funding issue to support the amount of prisoners we incarcerate throughout our country, and continuing to prosecute low level criminals using these outdated drug laws are becoming excessive and unnecessary. During the peak of the "war on drugs," when the crack epidemic emerged, there was a huge difference in the sentencing policy when comparing crack to cocaine, the ratio was noticeably higher for crack sentences. This relates to what you said about the fact that the criminal justice system targets minorities more than whites, because more African-Americans tend to use crack. I think it was interesting that you brought up the person blame theory as well. Through the help of media, society shapes a negative view towards people charged with these lower level, non-violent drug crimes. And people tend to look past the outside "forces" that pressure people into dealing or using these drugs, and just label them outright as these vicious criminals. From a functionalist perspective, this system supports a cycle that continues to place whites above minority groups. Because crack users tend to be people within a minority group, they are given a lengthier sentence as compared to their white counterparts. In addition, giving these longer sentences takes away from the tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere, such as hiring more law enforcement officers or maybe funding programs for drug users for after they are released.
I agree somewhat to Kelly's solution proposal. I do agree to the fact that the low-level drug cases should plead for clemency and be released sooner. This would relieve the issue of overcrowding to some degree. I do, however, find it necessary to implement some type of mandatory program in place for previously incarcerated drug users. If we do not help fix the issue on a micro level, the cycle will just continue, and these offenders will keep breaking laws and eventually be back in prison again. Our government pays more attention to punishment rather than the real issue.
Bianka Saabedra
I response to Cheyenne S.
1. I agree with Cheyenne oh the idea that it’s becoming a social problem because of the overcrowding of the prisons. This is due to them incarcerating nonviolent criminals which ends up having a toll on the tax payers. It also affects the people who have family members in prison for things such as drug possession. With the majority of the criminals arrested for these crimes living in low income communities they have no other way to come up with the monthly bill payments. Their constant crimes they don’t have clean records and then when it comes to employers hiring them they overlook their request.
2. The conflict theorist would believe that due to the fact that people part of certain minorities and social standing have a disadvantage when it comes down to them being arrested more frequently. Police officers tend to have certain stereotypes against minority groups by associating them with deviant behavior. This will also affect them when it comes to paying a good lawyer that would get them out with a fine.
3. I believe that there is need for the sentencing reform this would solve many of the issues by setting free most of the nonviolent criminals. However, at the same time by letting out theses criminals who have a chance to learn other techniques in committing the crimes into the community is not such a great idea. They will end up influencing today’s teens into committing the same deviant behaviors. By instigating them into gangs and convincing them to sell drugs etc.
In response to Cheyenne S.
Evan W.
Prison crowding has indeed become a pressing problem in the criminal justice system. However, non-violent criminals can still be dangerous. When we look at it from a symbolic interactionalist persepctive, prison has its own culture sensibly called, "Prison Culture". Just like any culture, it socializes or in this case re-socializes inmates to the norms and values associated with said culture. Even non-violent inmates are immersed into this culture and it affects their behavior. By observing how the tough inmates have respect, they realize they have to go under a similar transformation to be accepted into the culture. Labeling theory will make this worse as you are officially labeled as a convict which will make finding a respectable job harder if you are released. This all leads to Anomie theory where the non-violent inmate resorts to crime because he or she is unable to acquire the necessary resources to survive. This also subconsciously fueled by their observation of how the most dangerous criminals in the prison are the most feared or respected. A way to fix this problem would be to adjust laws or add regulations to prevent the overcrowding of prisons with low-level offenders. Removing or amending any laws similar to the 3 Strikes Law would also contribute to preventing prisons from being overcrowded. Another thing that could be done is re-prioritizing which crimes are important to stop. For example, Marijuana is on the top of the FBI's list for illegal substances even though it is nowhere near as dangerous as other drugs which are lower priority.
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