The Pros And Cons Of Packing Prisons

In the United States, the government preaches equality for all, while in upholding a system that discriminates against almost everyone that is not white, or not male. Packing prisons in the United States is second nature, since the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the populations in prisons have increase at least 400%. And when talking about the prison system in the U.S., there has to be a conversation about race, because the prison system systematically targets people of color. U.S. soil bleeds racism, from the countries racist words about refugees to the color of skin dictating your pay. There is nothing number one about a country with a broken and racially biased criminal justice system, with racism directed at refugees of war because of their
religion, and with women being treated as second class citizens. America is not the best country in the world, and the entire structure of the country would need to be torn down and rebuilt for it to claim the number one position in the world. The United States in number one is prison population, because the prison system is broken, and the only way it can be repaired is for it to be torn down. The broken nature comes from racial bias, and life sentences for non-violent crimes, while certain violent crimes occur with impunity. Then, the prison system breeds those inside for recidivism, rather than prolonged freedom. In 1993, South Africa under the apartheid system imprisoned 851 black men, while in 2010, the United States, imprisoned 4,347 black men; that means black men are imprisoned at about five times the rate they were imprisoned under an apartheid system. Due to this, the America is an apartheid state, where guilt is deemed by the coloration of skin, rather than the true culpability. There is the issue of people serving life sentences for non-violent crimes, and many of them are also black. There are over 3,000 people in prison for non-violent crimes, and some of the crimes are as simple as shoplifting a jacket, and selling marijuana. Finally, the problem with life sentences for non-violent offenders is that people who commit rape, are rarely prosecuted for a crime. According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), out of every 100 people accused of rape, 97 are going to walk out of prison with absolute impunity. When a justice system deliberately targets people of color, gives life sentences to non-violent criminals, and does not imprison rapists, there is no justice. With the recent migrant crisis in Europe, politicians in the United States have been extremely hesitant to take in the refugees from Syria and Iraq. The unwillingness on behalf of politicians is based on racism and Islamophobia. Because according to United States, Islam is the religion of terrorists, or people who support terrorism. But not only is the United States anti-Islam, it is anti-immigrant. For example, during the 1930s, Jewish refugees from Europe arrived on the shores of the United States, when the government refused the docking of their ship. Those Jewish refugees were sent back to Europe, and where they buried in mass graves after being gassed to death in concentration camps. Even though American preaches to be a tolerate country full of freedom, there is extreme religious intolerance and racism binds every system in America, our country was built on the backs and slaves, and the country continues to support a system where racism is an acceptable norm. Finally, the United States is failing all woman. Woman, depending on the color of their skin, are paid less than men. White women are paid about 78 cents to the dollar earned by men, whereas black women are paid about 64 cents, and Latinas make 56 cents for every dollar that is earned by a white man. Race, again, is brought into the picture, because the United States treats people of color like animals, rather than human beings, for the simple fact that their skin color is darker. While women have fought hard for their equality, they are still fighting and need to continue to fight, because the World Economic Forum estimated that women will not get equal pay until the year 2133, which is 118 years from 2015. Imagine, the world is going to go through amazing technological advances in the next couple of decades, while women continue to fight for basic economic rights, just like they have been fighting since the dawn of the feminist movement. While the United States continues to oppress individuals by race and religion and gender, there are other countries with far more dangerous and oppressive laws.
In Iran, under Sharia law, homosexuality is an executable offense. In Saudi Arabia, women are not permitted to drive. Those oppressive acts, among other oppressive actions committed elsewhere, make the United States the best country in the world, according to some. While the United States does not have extreme violations of human rights, it does have violations of human rights, and human rights violations should not be parsed. It does not matter if one country has a more serious human rights violation than another country, they are both committing a crime against human beings. The United States is number one is prison population, which is a title the country should not be proud of, but seems to bask in. The U.S. is a country of freedom that takes away the freedom of more people than any other country. Not only is the prison system overflowing with inmates, it is overflowing with inmates of color. Racism comes in all shapes and sizes, in the United States, whether it is racism towards refugees, or racism towards women in the workforce, who are being paid less than white men and white women. There are countries that are better than United States, and there are countries that are worse than the United States, but overall, the United States is not the best country in the
world.