Changes In Social Inequality In Prisons

The U.S. prison population over the past twenty-five years has been broadly discussed. Many studies over the years consider the changes in the social inequality in imprisonment. I chose this inequality because of the major increase in crime and using prison as a form of punishment in society. It is important to study the inequality in incarceration and mass imprisonment because of the many reoccurring incidents in today's news and the growth in the number of prisons being made. The author Melanie Reid says “locking them up and throwing away the key isn’t a humane or workable solution for society” in which I agree with. By estimating lifetime risks of imprisonment for black and white men at different levels of education we can see the many disadvantages
A major point in critical race theory would be white privilege describing the social advantages that some are given because they are part of the dominant race. By not being white in the US it comes with the major issues with the stereotypes and prejudice judgements in society from others. The feeling of constantly being watched as you go into a store as society has portrayed some type of bad image of you is wrong. As some can say that the dominant race takes it for granted. Another major point in critical race theory is Microaggression. A microaggression is any comment, attitude, action, or gesture individuals experience as inappropriate or hurtful based on their personal history and characteristics (Sue 2010). These include small acts of racism consciously or unconsciously perpetrated. Microaggressions are usually derogatory statements or slick insults toward people of color. An example of this would be if someone would say “you don’t act like a black person” or “you sound white”. These things are said on the daily basis by your peers and even teachers. Microaggressions that are used by others aren’t necessarily meant to always offend you, they’re just said unconsciously. Critical race theory would be viewed better than all other theories because within the
Drucker associates the long tail of mass incarceration and the detrimental effects that serving a long sentence may have on someone. The impact by the poor physical and mental health of many prisoners as they enter the system, and the deplorable conditions in many prisoners, combine with a set of “invisible punishments” that continue to stigmatize and disadvantage former prisoners once they have returned to their communities (Drucker 2011). An anthropological perspective could be applied to the social inequality in mass incarceration but it is challenging to write about prison reform. Many suggestions have previously been made to no avail despite general agreement on the possible benefits. Unique and novel ideas have been proposed but they were so outside the established mainstream procedures that they were never considered. Unfortunately, many of the people with the best ideas on reform are rarely those in a position of authority to enact changes. By estimating lifetime risks of imprisonment for black and white men at different levels of education we can see the many disadvantages in the penal system. School discipline procedures have increased drastically in America’s schools. While they are hurtful to the academic success of all students the policies feed into much wider social