Analysis Of Punishment And Inequality In America By Bruce Western
While proposition 47 reduces many drug related felonies to misdemeanors this may help whites being released from prison as incarceration even for a misdemeanor can have long reaching stratifying effects for Blacks and Hispanics when it comes to jobs, housing and other resources. Which leads to higher recidivism rates for blacks and Latino as the stigma of incarceration adversely impact their life chances chance as they find it hard to rebuild relationships with loved one or find support services once released from prison. Studies have shown black and white felons sent on the interviews with the same, resume information and Felony convictions yielded better results for receive call backs for or a job, while blacks with the no call back s our job.
…show more content…
In the text reading “Punishment and Inequality in America” author Bruce Western discusses how mass incarnation had to do with a loss of jobs and is stratifying institution used as a powerful engine of inequality that affects large racial disparities on a gendered portion of society (mostly Black and Latino males) of the population.
Incarceration adversely affect their life chances during and after their release from prison. Prison sentences for blacks and Latino males has never been equally distributed as black and Latino males find themselves more harshly prosecuted for crimes than whites e.g. during the war on drugs policy of the 80’s black men dealing and using crack cocaine were more harshly prosecuted than those found in possessions of powder cocaine who were generally
whites.
Author Bruce Western further asserts that many of those incarcerated 1990’s under war on drugs policy and three strikes laws were non -violent offenders. Laws where if a person having two strikes stole a loaf of bread they could find themselves doing life in prison. Many of these laws disproportionally affected Blacks and Latinos who received harsher sentences than whites convicted of using or selling drugs or other offences. Conviction centered on drugs while drug use proliferated as those in power did nothing to curb drug use. Many minorities were convicted of non-violent offenses stemming from either selling or using drugs. The travesty of this is the phenomena of mass incarceration which Western say was so prevalent that it became a part of normal life for many disadvantaged black men as they found themselves more likely to wind up in prison then white graduate high school or go to college. After the drug wars of the 80’ calmed down during the 90’s Western found in his research that that crime rates where down 10 percent due to police efforts. Thus mass incarceration had no profound effect on crimes being committed during the 90’s. thus the war on drugs policy was used as a means of incarcerating thousands of disenfranchised Latino and black males who resorted to dealing drugs as they had no other job options.
Non-Violent felony conviction that set them apart from whites selling and in possession of drugs. In my opinion with the if it wasn't for the methamphetamine epidemic mass incarceration would be status quo. And while Proposition 47 will reduce these unfair sentences, without safty nets in the form of support services e.g. job training, housing services, psychosocial and family reunifiction pograms many of those getting out of prison will possible reoffend and return to prison as they face the same optiions in scociety that originally sent them to prison.
While releasing nonviolent offenders to combat overcrowding is a good jester releasing ex offender without safety nets in place will only lead to recidivism and repeat of old or new offenses. Proposition 47 is a great for some but not so for other as blacks who have been convicted of or arrested for crimes face a double stigma of being black and having been arrests so while a reducing a felony to a misdemeanor Proposition 47 has more potential to help white offender more than black and Hispanic.
In the text reading “Punishment and Inequality in America” author Bruce Western discusses how mass incarnation had to do with a loss of jobs and is stratifying institution used as a powerful engine of inequality that affects large racial disparities on a gendered portion of society (mostly Black and Latino males) of the population.
Incarceration adversely affect their life chances during and after their release from prison. Prison sentences for blacks and Latino males has never been equally distributed as black and Latino males find themselves more harshly prosecuted for crimes than whites e.g. during the war on drugs policy of the 80’s black men dealing and using crack cocaine were more harshly prosecuted than those found in possessions of powder cocaine who were generally
whites.
Author Bruce Western further asserts that many of those incarcerated 1990’s under war on drugs policy and three strikes laws were non -violent offenders. Laws where if a person having two strikes stole a loaf of bread they could find themselves doing life in prison. Many of these laws disproportionally affected Blacks and Latinos who received harsher sentences than whites convicted of using or selling drugs or other offences. Conviction centered on drugs while drug use proliferated as those in power did nothing to curb drug use. Many minorities were convicted of non-violent offenses stemming from either selling or using drugs. The travesty of this is the phenomena of mass incarceration which Western say was so prevalent that it became a part of normal life for many disadvantaged black men as they found themselves more likely to wind up in prison then white graduate high school or go to college. After the drug wars of the 80’ calmed down during the 90’s Western found in his research that that crime rates where down 10 percent due to police efforts. Thus mass incarceration had no profound effect on crimes being committed during the 90’s. thus the war on drugs policy was used as a means of incarcerating thousands of disenfranchised Latino and black males who resorted to dealing drugs as they had no other job options.
Non-Violent felony conviction that set them apart from whites selling and in possession of drugs. In my opinion with the if it wasn't for the methamphetamine epidemic mass incarceration would be status quo. And while Proposition 47 will reduce these unfair sentences, without safty nets in the form of support services e.g. job training, housing services, psychosocial and family reunifiction pograms many of those getting out of prison will possible reoffend and return to prison as they face the same optiions in scociety that originally sent them to prison.
While releasing nonviolent offenders to combat overcrowding is a good jester releasing ex offender without safety nets in place will only lead to recidivism and repeat of old or new offenses. Proposition 47 is a great for some but not so for other as blacks who have been convicted of or arrested for crimes face a double stigma of being black and having been arrests so while a reducing a felony to a misdemeanor Proposition 47 has more potential to help white offender more than black and Hispanic.