Draft

Building Prison Economy by Tracy Huling

Tracy Huling paints a grim picture of the effects of the prison economy in rural America. It is clear that the influx of inmates positively and negatively impacts rural communities and the negative far outweigh the positive. Prisons often do not attract associated industries, and they can displace local businesses with chain stores. The results are evident by increased rates of divorce, alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, health problems, family violence, and crimes in prison towns. Additionally, racism is rampant in prison towns and has had a dehumanizing effect on both prisoners and guards. The prison economy has had a significant political impact on rural America. A large number of inmates from urban areas means that their votes are effectively given to rural areas when political boundaries are redrawn. The practice decreases the political representation and power of urban communities of color. Richard Purdue's word on the potential for a "dismal retreat into the industry of incarceration." Reminds the great responsibility of ensuring communities hosting prisons are not being taken advantage of and that prisoners are not being treated as second-class citizens.

The displacement of low-wage workers and the burden placed on the local court and police systems to the perpetuation of racism and the dilution of the voting power of prisoners, the consequences of the prison economy in rural America are vast and far-reaching. Need for more equitable and just policies when it comes to prisons and criminal justice, in general, is highlighted.

Austin and Irwin: Chapter 5

As correctional systems have evolved throughout history, they have adopted different approaches to making prisons and prisoner treatment better. The reform began to focus on the rehabilitation and basic needs of the prisoners where it accommodates religious instruction, education and the health of the prisoners.

The main core of corrections is to reduce recidivism rates but less efforts to prevent the growing prison populations. In addition to incarceration, there are multiple forms of corrections including rehabilitation and reintroduction into society. In this chapter, it is mentioned that programs based solely on counseling, drug treatments, and cognitive learning do not improve the functionality of at-risk offenders. It has been shown that incarceration does not meet expectations. Furthermore, people who have spent a higher proportion of their lives in prison feel more comfortable than they do in the community. It is completely ineffective to have longer prison sentences because low-risk offenders are sometimes exposed to high-risk offenders, and the likelihood of learning new methods to commit crimes is very high. Most offenders prefer probation over incarceration.

Corrections have never been perfect, but understanding prison functions is key to improving them. For prisons to become more effective, I agree that appropriate reforms must be implemented. Providing social programs within and outside prisons would enhance public safety. There is now a wide array of rights available to offenders that weren't there before, and these are the things that make the corrections system different from previous reforms.

Crime Relationship in Low-Income Communities

Todd R. presents high incarceration rates in poor areas having a destabilizing effect on the community and weakening the forces that promote public safety. The effect is a result of disruption of primary social control systems, such as families having difficulty participating in intermediate social activity underpinning parochial social control. The negative views people develop toward the criminal justice system due to personal experiences weaken the sense of collective efficacy and social cohesion necessary to maintain public safety. High incarceration rates increase mobility as people relocate away from their communities due to the stigma associated with imprisonment. It creates a destabilizing effect, as informal community relationships are less likely to form and thrive. crime can lead people to isolation from their neighbors inhibiting social activity. People struggling to make ends meet often lack time to dedicate to intermediate social activities, such as attending church and belonging to a social club

The complexity of the effect of high incarceration rates on the primary social control systems, such as families, and their role in parochial social control is particularly insightful. What I found especially concerning was the idea that people who have experienced the criminal justice system may develop negative views. It weakens the sense of collective efficacy necessary to maintain public safety. The absence of family members and other social ties can lead to a breakdown in informal social control. People developing negative views on criminal justice weaken their sense of collective efficacy and social cohesion. The implications of high incinerations raise questions on measures taken to address the destabilizing effects of high incarceration rates on communities. How can we ensure that people who have experienced the criminal justice system do not develop negative views of it? Are there any initiatives in place to encourage primary social control systems to participate in intermediate social activities?

Stohr: Chapter 17

The current state of the correctional system in the United States highlights failures and offers suggestions for improvement. The overuse of incarceration as a form of punishment is one of the article's main topics. Despite having the highest rate of incarceration in the world, crime rates in the United States have not dramatically dropped. The circumstances imply that incarceration is ineffective as a crime deterrent and that other avenues for punishment and rehabilitation should be investigated. African Americans and other minorities are disproportionately represented in prisons and jails, suggesting systemic biases at play. Addressing these biases through policy changes and education reduces the disparities. The concept of restorative justice was one of the article's most intriguing ideas. Instead of penalizing the criminal, this strategy focuses on mending the damage committed by the crime. This could entail paying the victim back the money, performing community service, or taking other measures of reparation. It has been demonstrated that restorative justice works well to lower recidivism rates and foster healing for both the victim and the offender.

I found the paper was a thoughtful analysis of the current situation of the American criminal justice system. It would be wise to take into account the reform proposals, such as looking into restorative justice and limiting the use of prisons. Adjustments must be made to overcome the shortcomings of the existing framework and guarantee that justice is administered fairly and effectively.

Reading XIII: Juvenile and Corrections

The primary target of juvenile courts is rehabilitation of delinquent young offenders. Through educational, vocational, social, emotional, and basic life skills development, we aim to rehabilitate and prevent further criminal behavior.

The juvenile justice system was originally formed on the following main principles which include the principle of parens patriae, freedom from oppression, and personalized justice. The original idea behind this was that in this justice system, the federal government or the state acts as a substitute parent to any minor whose parents are not in the picture. Based on the principles this justice system is designed to ensure the provision of structured help and rehabilitation of behavior as opposed to subjecting such promising futures to punishment.

Some cases of young offenders cannot always address at juvenile courts for certain situation where they committed serious crimes or utilized all resources of the juvenile system. As a result, cases are being waived or transferred to Criminal Court where stricter punishments apply. There are three primary ways to waive to juvenile case to criminal court: judicial waiver, prosecution discretion, and statutory exclusion. The judicial waiver involves a judge waives jurisdiction over the case after considering the merits of transfer for individual youth. Usually, could have a long story of offenses. Legislative exclusion determines that an entire class of juvenile crimes should be sent to adult court automatically, usually serious, and violent offenses. Prosecutorial discretion allows a state or local prosecutor the authority to file charges against some juveniles directly in adult court.

In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on imprisonment without the possibility of parole for juveniles who have not committed murder. Convicting young offenders to die in prison violates the Eighth Amendment. As they affirm, this sentence violates the law, and research confirms that youth should be treated differently than adults in our legal system. Moreover, instead of focusing only on crime control, the juvenile system ensures that youth are provided with their fundamental needs, which is social welfare.

Reevaluating the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment

Drawing definitive conclusions from the existing research due to varying assumptions, models, and data used pose challenges. I am struck by the complexity of analyzing the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. Using model averaging to address the issue involves considering a range of models rather than relying on a single model to estimate the effects of capital punishment. One issue that stood out is the difficulty in obtaining reliable data on crime rates and capital punishment implementation across different states and periods. Many studies use aggregated data, which can obscure the heterogeneity in policies and outcomes across different states. Additionally, the challenges in identifying a causal relationship between capital punishment and crime rates may be other factors influence the variables. It emphasizes how crucial it is to design suitable statistical models and carefully choose control variables to handle these problems.

I appreciate the authors' emphasis on accounting for model uncertainty, as it is difficult to determine which model is the "correct" one to use in analyzing the relationship between capital punishment and crime. Model averaging provides a way to incorporate multiple models and weigh their relative strengths based on available data. The approach seems particularly relevant in light of the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of capital punishment and the conflicting results of studies in this area.

It’s About Time: Chapter 2

Who goes to prison? There are five distinct patterns of who goes to prison based on the surveys conducted which include crime, crime episode, being around crime, dereliction, and one-shot crime. Into Crime persons (43%), who are the majority, identify themselves differently with names such as “thieves,” ‘hustlers,” “dope friends” to shield their activities and collectively on their actions as a group. They find pleasure and honor in their groups because they label themselves with not only names but also hoods and certain colors for their clothes. Crime episode persons (19%) have less identity as a group, and fewer crime histories but have engaged in a crime episode that warranted their arrest. Being around crime (18%), are persons arrested for being in neighborhoods characterized by crimes. The police patrols arrest these corner boys in the streets while roaming, fearing they are aiding or using criminal activity. Dereliction (6%), there were persons incarcerated due to lack of an organized society or family, especially during their young age. majority of inmates in this pattern are juveniles who have had miserable life substance abuse-related crimes severally due to the fact that they lack support and general structure in the hoods. Lastly, something amazing about the one-short crime persons (14%) is that they have never been in crime before getting arrested for the one leading to prison.

Sending first-timers to jail and readmitting those that violate the law while in prison agrees with the goals of punishment such as deterrence, incapacitation, and retribution. When the courts convict offenders with crimes and send them to prison for the first time, they help in achieving the goals of punishment. A criminal that has been arrested is deterred from committing the same or similar crime soon. By virtue of being enclosed in prison with no freedom, they are also incapacitated to engage in similar in society. The cost of being caught by the law means that the offenders will bear the burden of their criminality even though no direct restitution is involved. On the other hand, sending them to probation is a form of rehabilitating them with the intention to achieve value from them. The courts rehabilitate offenders, especially those with minor cases, as a way of preventing crime by reforming their behaviors. Restrained rehabilitation can also deter and incapacitate offenders from engaging in crimes. The connections between the four goals are however not equally emphasized.

The Burning Time

Witches were viewed as particularly evil and were associated with women in the early period. Images of witches inspired the iconic Halloween figure.

This documentary explores the witch hunts that swept over Europe a couple of hundred years ago in extensive detail. False charges and trials resulted in extensive torture, stake burnings, and, eventually, the eradication of an organic way of life. The movie asks if past events are to blame for the current epidemic of violence against women and environmental negligence. Goddess Remembered and Full Circle are the first two movies in a trilogy on women and spirituality. The second part of the Women and Spirituality trilogy, Burning Times, takes a chilling look at the persecution of women in Europe during the 15th and 17th centuries. These women were thought to be witches. In a coordinated effort to eliminate the authority and independence of midwives, healers, and crones, the Christian church and the government worked together. Many people suffered torture and were burned at the stake. Matthew Fox and Margit Adler discuss the misogyny driving this significant campaign, which also draws attention to the persistence of violence against women in the modern era. The movie depicts the early modern witch hunts in Europe in the context of patriarchal and misogynist Christian doctrines throughout the Renaissance and Reformation.

One of the movie's main points is that millions of women were burned at the stake due to the witch trials. The patriarchal medical establishment participated in this by starting witch hunts. According to the description of the movie, the clash of two completely different religious systems; the Church and the State, with their starting emerging values of profit, power, domination, and patriarchal authority, versus the traditions that honored and highly regarded both women and the earth led to the victimization of women as witches. The relationship between witchcraft, women's historical oppression, and the power wielded by patriarchal institutions is critically discussed in The Burning Times. This platform also offers an effective platform for women who identify with Goddess worship and feminist spirituality to interact with others who share their sentiments. The influential booklet by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deidre English and other writings like them investigate how the growth of medical knowledge and authority works to erode women's traditional wisdom. The Burning Times also brings attention to this issue. The Burning Times exposes the connections between the past and present as well as the ways patriarchal systems have continued to favor certain types of knowledge and to be. This is despite the historical inaccuracy of its assertions.

History of Punishment

Punishment was imposed by the community on those who broke the law. Flogging, beheading, hanging, or electrocution was implemented as punishment during the earliest time. The history of punishment differs from these days now. Ancient punishment was considered brutal often too severe than the committed crime. Eventually, laws and rules regarding crime and punishment changed.

Hammurabi and the Laws of Retribution

Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who ruled from 1792 until 1750 B.C.E. The first known code of law (the origin of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”) was a set of legal precedents for different types of crimes and disputes, ranging from family law to contracts and major crimes. One of the earliest examples of the "innocent until proven guilty" adage that we still follow today. The Code of Hammurabi included specific punishments based on the criminal's age, social class, and gender. The code of law relies heavily upon the laws of retribution which means if an individual has taken someone’s life, then the punishment would be to take his own life.

Criminal Justice System

The practices of criminology encompassed the period between the late 17th century and the late 18th century. Cesare Beccaria was the spokesperson of the movement. Italian writer wrote a book called "On Crime and Punishment" in which he stated that punishments should match the severity of a crime and that it should be a way to scare others from committing crimes. Essentially a major shift in the way people views the world and punishment.

The Establishment of Prisons

Before the 18th century, prisons were developed in England and were mostly used to hold prisoners before their trial. However, prisons became extremely overcrowded. As a result of prison conditions, prisoners are often neglected, ill, and even die.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, Section five, no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. There are still many prisons around the world inflicting cruelty on their inmates to this day.

Capital Punishment

The death penalty still imposes in some countries, however, most western countries abolished capital punishment century ago or cease to inflict it.

Supporters of the penalty argue for its deterrent factor, yet there is no evidence that capital punishment has that effect. There are no clear answers in the moral and philosophical debate over the state's right to kill. Today's punishments may be more "civilized" than the vigilante justice of the Old West. It is important for people to understand that even when society imposes a punishment for breaking the social contract, they are still responsible for those consequences.

Mass Incarceration on Women

Mass incarceration has had a devastating impact on women, particularly those of color from low-income communities. Women are more likely to be arrested, charged, and incarcerated than men. Women face higher conviction rates for non-violent, drug-related offenses. However, they have fewer resources to defend themselves. As prisons are often located far away their families are separated and children are placed in foster care or with other family members. Since they lack resources, they find it challenging to visit or stay in touch with their families. Mother and child relationships and lives are destabilized by the sudden and unexpected separation. Women in prison are denied basic reproductive health services, including contraception and HIV prevention strategies. In some states, they are even forced to give birth while in shackles. The stigma of incarceration poses challenges to regaining custody of their children and damaging their reputation in the community.

The practices demonstrate a disregard for women's rights and health, leading to long-term medical and psychological consequences for both the mother and the child. The long-term consequences of such neglectful and hostile treatment must be considered. Mass incarceration has exacerbated the social and economic disadvantages these women face, making them even more vulnerable. The reading is a stark reminder of the need for a more gender-sensitive approach to criminal justice reform. The justice system should acknowledge and takes into account the unique challenges and experiences of women in prison. Psychological consequences of neglectful and hostile treatment during pregnancy must be recognized as collateral damage associated with mass incarceration. It also highlights the need for more resources to help women deal with the emotional, social, and economic consequences of incarceration. It also emphasizes the importance of women's leadership in antiviolence and grassroots mobilization efforts aimed at resisting the prison industrial complex. A concerted effort is needed to address and reduce its devastating impact on women and their families due to the social and economic costs of mass incarceration.

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Learning Outcome: Recognize the impact of social stratification on criminal and social justice issues.

RUBRIC:

ADVANCED Student predicts changing influences of various social stratification forces on criminal and social justice issues and recommends policy to reduce the effects of those forces.

PROFICIENT Student recognizes the impact of social stratification on criminal and social justice issues.

DEVELOPING Student understands the concepts of social stratification and its sources. Student is developing proficiency in recognizing the influence of social stratification within the practice of criminal and social justice

BEGINNING Student is in the process of understanding the concepts of social stratification