Mass Incarceration and Employment Discrimination

Dear Social Problems Students, 

This week during lecture we began looking at two related issue: Mass Incarceration and Employment Discrimination. We watched a short documentary produced by Al Jazeera, "Anatomy of An American City."（find on google) We also reviewed the Goffman reading "On the Run" and Pager reading "The Mark of a Criminal Record." Based on the ideas presented during lecture this past week, here is a question for you to write about: 

What are the barriers that ex-convicts and felons face when trying to improve their lives? How does "The Mark of a Criminal Record" address these issues? What structural limitations exist for ex-convicts and how does this shape their lives? How are individuals "branded" by the mark of a criminal record, and what are the long-term effects of being branded with such a negative credential?

Your written responses must be between 500-600 words.