Michelle Alexander's words rang very true in regards to a system that is and has been broken for a very long time. Here in the U.S. we incarcerate people at higher rates than any other nation in the world. Why is that? What she said about the racial disparities in our correctional facilities is a massive issue. I think she was correct in saying that the incarceration of African Americans at such alarming rates is to strip African Americans of the rights they were granted after the civil rights movement. Upon their release back into society they are no longer afforded those rights. Convicted felons are not able to obtain jobs, housing, or food. Things most of us take for granted. How then do we expect them to survive once they are released from institutions? The way the system is setup now is setting felons up for failure. When a person is denied basic rights such as finding a job or having enough food to eat, they are bound to commit crimes in order to survive. So we continue with the cycle of recidivism. Non-violent offenders need to be given a second chance and given the same basic rights our Constitution says are available to all human beings. The private prisons are also a problem. They are all about keeping people incarcerated. Yes people should be punished for breaking the laws set forth by legislation. But the punishment should fit the crime. Mandatory minimum sentences need to be stopped. The lawmakers of this nation need to focus on less incarceration rates and ways to assist felons upon their release back into society. If these felons are not given their civil rights we can expect most of them will be unable to survive outside the prison walls. It is understandable to not want to work with a violent offender. But most of the people affected by the mandatory sentencing guidelines are nonviolent offenders. Even our school system and the Zero Tolerance Policy is setting our children up for failure. So that has now created a school to prison pipeline. Until every human being regardless of skin color, economic background, sex, or ethnicity is given the same basic human rights we can expect to see high rates of incarcerated individual in this nation. All this playing on peoples fears especially through the mass media is only adding fuel to the fire. Like Michelle said first it was the War on Drugs, then the Get Tough on Crime wave, and now this fear of immigrants. We have the potential to be a great nation someday if the attitudes towards minorities is changed. In order to survive and prosper in this country everyone has to be treated equally and given the same basic rights. Until everyone wakes up and admits there is indeed a problem in this nation and the Correctional Institutions we are going to continue down this path of high inmate populations. mommy004
I find your idea of a school to prison pipeline interesting. I too agree that the zero tolerance policy is flawed and harsh towards children. Our societies reliance and tendency towards a one time offense and ruin your life pattern is frightening. That and the ideas Michelle brought forward about incarceration rates and the challenges ex-inmates face is further evidence to this theory. We as citizens of the United States need to rise up and take action to push for reform or adjustment of our legal and correctional systems. I truly believe if everyone takes notice instead of turning a blind eye we can see some of the changes Michelle voiced for.-Ghost004
I'm not sure if anyone could say it better than you did. With you being a mom I can see where you come from on the punishments being hard on some kids. For me I see these kids who because the parents have money they can do whatever they want and get away with it. I'm not saying every kid should be locked up and it's sad that not every kid is treat fair even if they commit the same crime as another kid. -Pie004
In this video the attorney and activist Michelle Alexander brings up the topic of mass incarceration in the United States. She takes the stand to push for reforms to help lower the number of inmates in the U.S. and too make their lives easier when they return to society after imprisonment. According to the video the number of inmates in prison in the U.S. alone has risen 800% since 1980. This number is staggering. Furthermore, when or if people actually get released from prison they face very tough obstacles as well. For instance, inmates that are released or on parole can have up to 100% of their wages deducted for fines, child support, or even paying back the state for their prison time. Prisoners can actually accumulate debts and child support dues while in prison. These are very serious issues for our society. Our nation cannot sit idle while our first response to crime is jail or prison. Furthermore, I side with Michelle in that most of us Americans share the same dream of equality for all people, and it's sad that that may not be the case within prison. In Michelle's book, "The New Jim Crow", she goes into detail about just how corrupt and misguided our justice and correction systems are. We need reform and we need it now. This war on drugs has gotten out of control and needs to be rewritten or abolished all together. We as a nation cannot sit by and let this happen across the nation. Criminals do deserve punishment but most don't deserve having their entire lives ruined by one mistake.-Ghost004
I agree with you that criminals deserve punishment and most shouldn’t have their entire lives ruined by one mistake. I believe that violent offenders should spend time in prison, but I think prison is the wrong place for drug offenders. This video showed how badly former prisoner’s futures were messed up because of silly mistakes like drugs. I don’t believe the war on drugs should be abolished all together because people need to recognize drugs are a problem to our society and health. For us to fix the New Jim Crow, we need to send drug offenders to rehab centers instead of prison. Scuba004
I agree with you that reform needs to happen now. Non-violent offenders don't deserve to have their entire life ruined for one mistake. It was alarming to hear that upon release even if a felon finds a job they could have 100% of their wages deducted to pay back child support, fines, and even their stay in the penal system. Just another way to set these people up for failure upon their release into society. People need to stop turning a blind eye to this very real problem and start working to eradicate this idea of mass incarceration and mandatory sentences. mommy004
Michelle Alexander brings up points that show flaws in the criminal justice system. Early on in the video, she talks about the New Jim Crow laws. She explains that multitudes of African Americans are arrested every year for minor crimes and they become trapped in the criminal justice system. Alexander further explains they are trapped in the system because the simple rights and opportunities that allow them to be productive/ law-abiding citizens are taken away. Becoming a felon sticks with people making it hard for them to get a job, get housing, acquire food, and live by the law. In other words, the old forms of discrimination during the Jim Crow era are now legal again. I like that the end of the video shows examples of women who have been incarcerated. Many people are oblivious to the struggles former convicts face and this video addresses those struggles. I like that those staying in the house have to remain sober and attend weekly therapy meetings. To fix the problems in the criminal justice system, we need to build effective rehab centers to send nonviolent offenders. Those who commit petty drug crimes should not be sent to prison. Sending drug offenders to prison are not helping those who need treatment. Rehab centers can give treatment to those who need it without wrecking people’s future. Scuba004
In this video it brings to light some of the issues that our criminal justice system has. Michelle Alexander is an attorney and activist and wrote a book about the issues that our correction and criminal justice systems have. For example, she brought up the point of how felons have pretty much no way of gaining a second chance. I agree strongly with this. How can we as a society expect anyone who has been convicted of a felony to return to the outside world and survive? Our system makes it extremely tough especially when applying for a job it asks if you have been convicted of a felony or not. That is basically a set up for failure. Most employers would not hire convicted felons for the fear of something bad to happen. However, if felons cannot get hired for jobs, then how do we expect to have those men and women to live a crime-free life. It is peculiar because I just had this conversation last night with one of my coworkers, because we just recently hired on someone who just got out of prison and my coworker was asking how come we hired a felon to work here. Take in consideration that my coworker is totally against people who live off welfare because he thinks that they just sit on their bums all day; so I asked him why he didn't want a felon to work with us, because if jobs discriminate against felons then all they are going to do is revert back to crime and then possibly be caught again and cost the state more money for prisons. Rayder004
I almost feel like the way that our criminal justice system is set up, it's pretty much like once you are in the system, you're stuck there for life. Offering very little opportunity for employment for newly released felons leaves them no other option but to revert back their old ways. I agree that this is just a way to set them up for failure. CAE004.
You’re absolutely right. The criminal justice system right now is very bad and needs fixing. Once people are convicted, their life is pretty much done. They don't have that good of a chance of getting out and finding even a decent job. They get no help once they're out either. That's why the rates of inmates returning is so high. When they have no hope or a chance to live better, they go right back to things that they got in trouble for. Incarceration rates are already high enough they don't needs prisoners who just got out to come right back in. Its costing more money to incarcerate them, rather than fund something that can help a lot more ex convicts. Mustang004
Michelle Alexander does an excellent job of describing the misfortune that people who are released from prison face. People who are convicted of a felony charge are fixed with being labeled a felon for the rest of their lives in a form of legal discrimination. Michelle also mentioned that people released from prison have a hard time of trying to get back on their feet. They don’t really have anywhere to go because if they return to their family that’s living in public housing, then they could face being evicted for letting a convicted felon stay with them. Not only that, but she also says that it is next to impossible to find employment. This in turn can contribute to recidivism. Michelle Alexander mentioned a woman by the name of Susan Burton, whose son was accidently killed by a police officer. As any mom would be, Burton was devastated by this and became deeply depressed, later turning to crack cocaine as a coping mechanism. After cycling in and out of the prison system for nearly fifteen years, Burton created a program dedicated to helping women who are released from prison receive a second chance called “A new way of life”. Programs like these are so important to have because they offer people that have been released from prison a second chance. They are provided housing and rehabilitation programs so they don’t get sucked back into the penal system. The way our criminal justice system is set up now, it’s almost like once you’re in the system, you are there for life because of how little opportunities there are of people being able to seek employment, get the proper treatment, and to not be tempted back to their old ways. CAE 004.
The way michelle has put thought into what happens to prisoners after they are released is really the way people should be moving forward to become. Just because someone has many a mistake that wasn't violent does not mean that they shouldn't have a second chance. BMW004
The criminal justice system is not great at all. There are many flaws in it at this point of time. One of those as Michelle Alexander talks about is incarceration rates. Incarceration rates are ungodly in this time. Some people get busted for crimes that they didn't do or sentences that are way too long. It costs around $20,000 to $80,000 to just house one inmate per year. That amount of money for the amount of people that are in the prisons right now is just awful. Not only do people make mistakes, but if they make one, it can ruin their whole life. Once you are released from prison, you will not have chances at finding good jobs. No one will want to take you and you can make a living. You don't get another chance and you'll end up doing what got you in jail in the first place. The system needs to focus some of its funding into rehab facilities so they can help ex prisoners. Their is no point of sending ex prisoners out on the streets to come right back. some people can have psychological problems and can't help what they do. Rehab facilities can work with these people and make their lives better. Mustang004
I believe that violent offenders should spend time in prison, but I think prison is the wrong place for drug offenders. This video showed how badly former prisoner’s futures were messed up because of silly mistakes like drugs. People who are convicted of a felony charge are fixed with being labeled a felon for the rest of their lives in a form of legal discrimination. Michelle also mentioned that people released from prison have a hard time of trying to get back on their feet. I think that now our nation has become more observant of who becomes incarcerated, the amount of drug offenders will become much lower. Michelle made great points on what the effects on non violent prisoners have after they are released and I back her points 100%. BMW004
Mandatory minimums are causing so many people to be legally discriminated against. These non-violent offenders, who are the one's most effected by mandatory minimums, have so many rights stripped from them that they do not have a choice but to return to crime when they are released from prison. To help end recidivism and over crowding in our prisons, we must first fix this problem. EKT004
The incarceration rate in today’s society is ridiculous. Numbers show that most people in prison are in for drug charges. If the criminal justice system found another way to punish and help people with their drug issues maybe prison populations wouldn’t be so high. Michelle pointed out that when most people get out they have a hard time trying to find where they belong. Where to go and how to live their life. Once in your in jail for maybe ten or so yours, you probably wouldn’t know what to do or how to live your life. Things change everyday. Ten years in prison can really change you as a person because you don’t really know what to expect. Instead of putting people in jail for multiple years for drug possession , they could send them somewhere to get help. Sending a person to jail for ten years does nothing but punish them. If you want to try to bring the prison populations down , the best thing to do is try to give help to the minor offenders. Get them off drugs and try to get them a job within a year or two. Help people instead of sending them back out there clueless and back on drugs. DC004
Michelle Alexander's thoughts are very true regarding the system that is, and has been broken for so many years. Here in the United States we incarcerate people at higher rates than any other nation in the world. She discussed the racial disparities in our correctional facilities and how it is a massive issue. I believe she is correct in saying that the incarceration of African Americans at such alarming rates is to remove any of the rights that were afforded to African Americans because of the civil rights movement. And because of this, upon their release back into society, they are no longer afforded these rights. Convicted felons are not able to find jobs, housing, food, or any other government aid. How then do we expect them to survive like this once they are released from prisons? The way the system is setup now is setting up these felons for failure. When a person is denied the basics, such as finding a job or having enough food to eat, they are bound to commit more crimes in order to survive, and so we continue the cycle of recidivism. The private prisons are also a large problem, because they are in the business of keeping people incarcerated. Yes, people should be punished for breaking the laws set forth by legislation, but it is not wrong to want the punishment should fit the crime, and in many cases, that does not always happen. Mandatory minimum sentences need to be stopped. Mandatory minimums effect non-violent offenders most and do much more harm than good for these people. Even our school system now has a "zero tolerance policy" and is setting children up for failure, creating the school to prison pipeline. Until every person, regardless of race or economic background, is given the equal rights we can expect to continue to see high rates of incarceration. EKT004
We in the United States lock people up fast than any other country is. What is sad is no matter what you were charged with when you are trying to get a job or house later on in life and asked if you’ve been convicted of a felon people have to mark yes. That doesn’t matter if it happen 40 years ago or 2 weeks. I understand not helping certain people because they had done such a horrible crime that no one can trust them but if it was someone’s first time getting in trouble for some drugs but wasn’t violent then those people are trying to get their life back on track. When those people who got in trouble for small things like drugs can’t get a job because they are marked as a felon then they end up going back to drugs or could be worse to help pay bills. I don’t think it’s right that we have the law where people shouldn’t get the harshest punishment because of the crime. There are some crimes (rape and murder) that do deserve the harshest punishment but not a little crime for having weed on you.- Pie004
I definitely agree with you we should lessen the punishment for crimes like being caught with drugs because it can ruin peoples lives with the mandatory minimums and harsh sentencing when in rehabilitation would be better. And I 100% agree we should continue locking people up for rape and murder. Those are crimes beyond punishable time and those people should be dealt with harshly. Bike004
Watching this video can really open your eyes to what is wrong with the criminal justice system in todays society. People are penalized for offenses where they should have been rehabilitated and sometimes eventually thrown back out into the real world with no resources or ways to get a job. They are labeled as felons and not given another chance at life. A lot of the times they are unable to get a job because they have a felony on their record and if they do get a job sometimes the government can take all their money away for child support reimbursement. A lot of the time these people feel helpless and end up recidivating because they cant make a life for themselves while obeying the law. Our country needs to lessen the time spent in prison for drug charges and focus on rehabilitating more inmates and having re entry programs for when they are let out of prison. BIke001
It’s no secret that the U.S. has one of the largest prison populations and we are heavy on mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander in this segment is one of the individuals standing up for a movement of decriminalizing and decreasing the amount of criminals in prison. A point she made almost immediately that I am myself passionate about is the concept of Ban the Box- getting rid of the section on employment applications that ask if you have committed a felony. We ask criminals to serve their time, and then when released to be good, find a job, a home, and not reoffend. But when this exists it’s limiting and offenders with a felony may not be able to find a job. The point of prison is that they served their time, they were punished they did what society and the law said they should do as punishment and had their freedoms taken away but upon release still cannot manage to fend for themselves. She also speaks about the fact that mass incarceration is also the dehumanization of people. The system itself as she mentions in the video fails to think about how we treat each other and our morals. Another good point raised is that we should be vetting for education and treatment programs over how often we tend to incarcerate. I strongly believe in this also that is my biggest pet peeve about our system is the lack of equality and effort put into education in the criminal systems. Prisoners have every right to be educated as they are incarcerated they should be learning about morals and basic skills for when they are released. Also treatment programs are the best option instead of sending someone to prison. If someone is sentenced to get help, especially on drug charges, this lowers the prison population and will hopefully in return allow for more people to truly get help for their addictions. We can’t expect a system to improve or the incarceration levels to decrease if we don’t have these other options she spoke about go into effect. We have so many options for many juveniles who go through the system from education programs, boot camps, work details, that more need to be developed for adult criminals. I will always agree that the most heinous of crimes should be punishable by spending time in prison with limited freedoms, but the mandatory sentencing and get tough on crime laws and drug laws have been harming the numbers we put away. When you see the storied of people who have gotten better by participating in treatment programs and then have more successfully reintegrated it’s hard to believe that we don’t continue this trend as a replacement for incarceration. Our problem as pointed out in the video when referencing ‘Susan’ that people who have been affected by incarceration clearly shows how the community can also have an impact on how offenders are treated by giving them a chance once released, providing jobs and a chance to do better and save money and create a bettered life than what they were living previously. Decreasing the prison population does help allocate money to better programs and state and government programs rather than spending millions on those incarcerated that could benefit from an alternative sentencing where they continue to live in the community and work. Marras002
Michelle Alexander's words rang very true in regards to a system that is and has been broken for a very long time. Here in the U.S. we incarcerate people at higher rates than any other nation in the world. Why is that? What she said about the racial disparities in our correctional facilities is a massive issue. I think she was correct in saying that the incarceration of African Americans at such alarming rates is to strip African Americans of the rights they were granted after the civil rights movement. Upon their release back into society they are no longer afforded those rights. Convicted felons are not able to obtain jobs, housing, or food. Things most of us take for granted. How then do we expect them to survive once they are released from institutions? The way the system is setup now is setting felons up for failure. When a person is denied basic rights such as finding a job or having enough food to eat, they are bound to commit crimes in order to survive. So we continue with the cycle of recidivism. Non-violent offenders need to be given a second chance and given the same basic rights our Constitution says are available to all human beings. The private prisons are also a problem. They are all about keeping people incarcerated. Yes people should be punished for breaking the laws set forth by legislation. But the punishment should fit the crime. Mandatory minimum sentences need to be stopped. The lawmakers of this nation need to focus on less incarceration rates and ways to assist felons upon their release back into society. If these felons are not given their civil rights we can expect most of them will be unable to survive outside the prison walls. It is understandable to not want to work with a violent offender. But most of the people affected by the mandatory sentencing guidelines are nonviolent offenders. Even our school system and the Zero Tolerance Policy is setting our children up for failure. So that has now created a school to prison pipeline. Until every human being regardless of skin color, economic background, sex, or ethnicity is given the same basic human rights we can expect to see high rates of incarcerated individual in this nation. All this playing on peoples fears especially through the mass media is only adding fuel to the fire. Like Michelle said first it was the War on Drugs, then the Get Tough on Crime wave, and now this fear of immigrants. We have the potential to be a great nation someday if the attitudes towards minorities is changed. In order to survive and prosper in this country everyone has to be treated equally and given the same basic rights. Until everyone wakes up and admits there is indeed a problem in this nation and the Correctional Institutions we are going to continue down this path of high inmate populations. mommy004
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI find your idea of a school to prison pipeline interesting. I too agree that the zero tolerance policy is flawed and harsh towards children. Our societies reliance and tendency towards a one time offense and ruin your life pattern is frightening. That and the ideas Michelle brought forward about incarceration rates and the challenges ex-inmates face is further evidence to this theory. We as citizens of the United States need to rise up and take action to push for reform or adjustment of our legal and correctional systems. I truly believe if everyone takes notice instead of turning a blind eye we can see some of the changes Michelle voiced for.-Ghost004
DeleteI agree; people do deserve second chances. Rayder004
DeleteI'm not sure if anyone could say it better than you did. With you being a mom I can see where you come from on the punishments being hard on some kids. For me I see these kids who because the parents have money they can do whatever they want and get away with it. I'm not saying every kid should be locked up and it's sad that not every kid is treat fair even if they commit the same crime as another kid. -Pie004
DeleteIn this video the attorney and activist Michelle Alexander brings up the topic of mass incarceration in the United States. She takes the stand to push for reforms to help lower the number of inmates in the U.S. and too make their lives easier when they return to society after imprisonment. According to the video the number of inmates in prison in the U.S. alone has risen 800% since 1980. This number is staggering. Furthermore, when or if people actually get released from prison they face very tough obstacles as well. For instance, inmates that are released or on parole can have up to 100% of their wages deducted for fines, child support, or even paying back the state for their prison time. Prisoners can actually accumulate debts and child support dues while in prison. These are very serious issues for our society. Our nation cannot sit idle while our first response to crime is jail or prison. Furthermore, I side with Michelle in that most of us Americans share the same dream of equality for all people, and it's sad that that may not be the case within prison. In Michelle's book, "The New Jim Crow", she goes into detail about just how corrupt and misguided our justice and correction systems are. We need reform and we need it now. This war on drugs has gotten out of control and needs to be rewritten or abolished all together. We as a nation cannot sit by and let this happen across the nation. Criminals do deserve punishment but most don't deserve having their entire lives ruined by one mistake.-Ghost004
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that criminals deserve punishment and most shouldn’t have their entire lives ruined by one mistake. I believe that violent offenders should spend time in prison, but I think prison is the wrong place for drug offenders. This video showed how badly former prisoner’s futures were messed up because of silly mistakes like drugs. I don’t believe the war on drugs should be abolished all together because people need to recognize drugs are a problem to our society and health. For us to fix the New Jim Crow, we need to send drug offenders to rehab centers instead of prison. Scuba004
DeleteI agree with you that reform needs to happen now. Non-violent offenders don't deserve to have their entire life ruined for one mistake. It was alarming to hear that upon release even if a felon finds a job they could have 100% of their wages deducted to pay back child support, fines, and even their stay in the penal system. Just another way to set these people up for failure upon their release into society. People need to stop turning a blind eye to this very real problem and start working to eradicate this idea of mass incarceration and mandatory sentences. mommy004
ReplyDeleteMichelle Alexander brings up points that show flaws in the criminal justice system. Early on in the video, she talks about the New Jim Crow laws. She explains that multitudes of African Americans are arrested every year for minor crimes and they become trapped in the criminal justice system. Alexander further explains they are trapped in the system because the simple rights and opportunities that allow them to be productive/ law-abiding citizens are taken away. Becoming a felon sticks with people making it hard for them to get a job, get housing, acquire food, and live by the law. In other words, the old forms of discrimination during the Jim Crow era are now legal again. I like that the end of the video shows examples of women who have been incarcerated. Many people are oblivious to the struggles former convicts face and this video addresses those struggles. I like that those staying in the house have to remain sober and attend weekly therapy meetings. To fix the problems in the criminal justice system, we need to build effective rehab centers to send nonviolent offenders. Those who commit petty drug crimes should not be sent to prison. Sending drug offenders to prison are not helping those who need treatment. Rehab centers can give treatment to those who need it without wrecking people’s future. Scuba004
ReplyDeleteIn this video it brings to light some of the issues that our criminal justice system has. Michelle Alexander is an attorney and activist and wrote a book about the issues that our correction and criminal justice systems have. For example, she brought up the point of how felons have pretty much no way of gaining a second chance. I agree strongly with this. How can we as a society expect anyone who has been convicted of a felony to return to the outside world and survive? Our system makes it extremely tough especially when applying for a job it asks if you have been convicted of a felony or not. That is basically a set up for failure. Most employers would not hire convicted felons for the fear of something bad to happen. However, if felons cannot get hired for jobs, then how do we expect to have those men and women to live a crime-free life. It is peculiar because I just had this conversation last night with one of my coworkers, because we just recently hired on someone who just got out of prison and my coworker was asking how come we hired a felon to work here. Take in consideration that my coworker is totally against people who live off welfare because he thinks that they just sit on their bums all day; so I asked him why he didn't want a felon to work with us, because if jobs discriminate against felons then all they are going to do is revert back to crime and then possibly be caught again and cost the state more money for prisons. Rayder004
ReplyDeleteI almost feel like the way that our criminal justice system is set up, it's pretty much like once you are in the system, you're stuck there for life. Offering very little opportunity for employment for newly released felons leaves them no other option but to revert back their old ways. I agree that this is just a way to set them up for failure. CAE004.
DeleteYou’re absolutely right. The criminal justice system right now is very bad and needs fixing. Once people are convicted, their life is pretty much done. They don't have that good of a chance of getting out and finding even a decent job. They get no help once they're out either. That's why the rates of inmates returning is so high. When they have no hope or a chance to live better, they go right back to things that they got in trouble for. Incarceration rates are already high enough they don't needs prisoners who just got out to come right back in. Its costing more money to incarcerate them, rather than fund something that can help a lot more ex convicts. Mustang004
DeleteMichelle Alexander does an excellent job of describing the misfortune that people who are released from prison face. People who are convicted of a felony charge are fixed with being labeled a felon for the rest of their lives in a form of legal discrimination. Michelle also mentioned that people released from prison have a hard time of trying to get back on their feet. They don’t really have anywhere to go because if they return to their family that’s living in public housing, then they could face being evicted for letting a convicted felon stay with them. Not only that, but she also says that it is next to impossible to find employment. This in turn can contribute to recidivism. Michelle Alexander mentioned a woman by the name of Susan Burton, whose son was accidently killed by a police officer. As any mom would be, Burton was devastated by this and became deeply depressed, later turning to crack cocaine as a coping mechanism. After cycling in and out of the prison system for nearly fifteen years, Burton created a program dedicated to helping women who are released from prison receive a second chance called “A new way of life”. Programs like these are so important to have because they offer people that have been released from prison a second chance. They are provided housing and rehabilitation programs so they don’t get sucked back into the penal system. The way our criminal justice system is set up now, it’s almost like once you’re in the system, you are there for life because of how little opportunities there are of people being able to seek employment, get the proper treatment, and to not be tempted back to their old ways. CAE 004.
ReplyDeleteThe way michelle has put thought into what happens to prisoners after they are released is really the way people should be moving forward to become. Just because someone has many a mistake that wasn't violent does not mean that they shouldn't have a second chance. BMW004
DeleteThe criminal justice system is not great at all. There are many flaws in it at this point of time. One of those as Michelle Alexander talks about is incarceration rates. Incarceration rates are ungodly in this time. Some people get busted for crimes that they didn't do or sentences that are way too long. It costs around $20,000 to $80,000 to just house one inmate per year. That amount of money for the amount of people that are in the prisons right now is just awful. Not only do people make mistakes, but if they make one, it can ruin their whole life. Once you are released from prison, you will not have chances at finding good jobs. No one will want to take you and you can make a living. You don't get another chance and you'll end up doing what got you in jail in the first place. The system needs to focus some of its funding into rehab facilities so they can help ex prisoners. Their is no point of sending ex prisoners out on the streets to come right back. some people can have psychological problems and can't help what they do. Rehab facilities can work with these people and make their lives better. Mustang004
ReplyDeleteI believe that violent offenders should spend time in prison, but I think prison is the wrong place for drug offenders. This video showed how badly former prisoner’s futures were messed up because of silly mistakes like drugs. People who are convicted of a felony charge are fixed with being labeled a felon for the rest of their lives in a form of legal discrimination. Michelle also mentioned that people released from prison have a hard time of trying to get back on their feet. I think that now our nation has become more observant of who becomes incarcerated, the amount of drug offenders will become much lower. Michelle made great points on what the effects on non violent prisoners have after they are released and I back her points 100%. BMW004
ReplyDeleteMandatory minimums are causing so many people to be legally discriminated against. These non-violent offenders, who are the one's most effected by mandatory minimums, have so many rights stripped from them that they do not have a choice but to return to crime when they are released from prison. To help end recidivism and over crowding in our prisons, we must first fix this problem. EKT004
DeleteThe incarceration rate in today’s society is ridiculous. Numbers show that most people in prison are in for drug charges. If the criminal justice system found another way to punish and help people with their drug issues maybe prison populations wouldn’t be so high. Michelle pointed out that when most people get out they have a hard time trying to find where they belong. Where to go and how to live their life. Once in your in jail for maybe ten or so yours, you probably wouldn’t know what to do or how to live your life. Things change everyday. Ten years in prison can really change you as a person because you don’t really know what to expect. Instead of putting people in jail for multiple years for drug possession , they could send them somewhere to get help. Sending a person to jail for ten years does nothing but punish them. If you want to try to bring the prison populations down , the best thing to do is try to give help to the minor offenders. Get them off drugs and try to get them a job within a year or two. Help people instead of sending them back out there clueless and back on drugs. DC004
ReplyDeleteMichelle Alexander's thoughts are very true regarding the system that is, and has been broken for so many years. Here in the United States we incarcerate people at higher rates than any other nation in the world. She discussed the racial disparities in our correctional facilities and how it is a massive issue. I believe she is correct in saying that the incarceration of African Americans at such alarming rates is to remove any of the rights that were afforded to African Americans because of the civil rights movement. And because of this, upon their release back into society, they are no longer afforded these rights. Convicted felons are not able to find jobs, housing, food, or any other government aid. How then do we expect them to survive like this once they are released from prisons? The way the system is setup now is setting up these felons for failure. When a person is denied the basics, such as finding a job or having enough food to eat, they are bound to commit more crimes in order to survive, and so we continue the cycle of recidivism. The private prisons are also a large problem, because they are in the business of keeping people incarcerated. Yes, people should be punished for breaking the laws set forth by legislation, but it is not wrong to want the punishment should fit the crime, and in many cases, that does not always happen. Mandatory minimum sentences need to be stopped. Mandatory minimums effect non-violent offenders most and do much more harm than good for these people. Even our school system now has a "zero tolerance policy" and is setting children up for failure, creating the school to prison pipeline. Until every person, regardless of race or economic background, is given the equal rights we can expect to continue to see high rates of incarceration. EKT004
ReplyDeleteWe in the United States lock people up fast than any other country is. What is sad is no matter what you were charged with when you are trying to get a job or house later on in life and asked if you’ve been convicted of a felon people have to mark yes. That doesn’t matter if it happen 40 years ago or 2 weeks. I understand not helping certain people because they had done such a horrible crime that no one can trust them but if it was someone’s first time getting in trouble for some drugs but wasn’t violent then those people are trying to get their life back on track. When those people who got in trouble for small things like drugs can’t get a job because they are marked as a felon then they end up going back to drugs or could be worse to help pay bills. I don’t think it’s right that we have the law where people shouldn’t get the harshest punishment because of the crime. There are some crimes (rape and murder) that do deserve the harshest punishment but not a little crime for having weed on you.- Pie004
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you we should lessen the punishment for crimes like being caught with drugs because it can ruin peoples lives with the mandatory minimums and harsh sentencing when in rehabilitation would be better. And I 100% agree we should continue locking people up for rape and murder. Those are crimes beyond punishable time and those people should be dealt with harshly. Bike004
DeleteWatching this video can really open your eyes to what is wrong with the criminal justice system in todays society. People are penalized for offenses where they should have been rehabilitated and sometimes eventually thrown back out into the real world with no resources or ways to get a job. They are labeled as felons and not given another chance at life. A lot of the times they are unable to get a job because they have a felony on their record and if they do get a job sometimes the government can take all their money away for child support reimbursement. A lot of the time these people feel helpless and end up recidivating because they cant make a life for themselves while obeying the law. Our country needs to lessen the time spent in prison for drug charges and focus on rehabilitating more inmates and having re entry programs for when they are let out of prison. BIke001
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DeleteIt’s no secret that the U.S. has one of the largest prison populations and we are heavy on mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander in this segment is one of the individuals standing up for a movement of decriminalizing and decreasing the amount of criminals in prison. A point she made almost immediately that I am myself passionate about is the concept of Ban the Box- getting rid of the section on employment applications that ask if you have committed a felony. We ask criminals to serve their time, and then when released to be good, find a job, a home, and not reoffend. But when this exists it’s limiting and offenders with a felony may not be able to find a job. The point of prison is that they served their time, they were punished they did what society and the law said they should do as punishment and had their freedoms taken away but upon release still cannot manage to fend for themselves. She also speaks about the fact that mass incarceration is also the dehumanization of people. The system itself as she mentions in the video fails to think about how we treat each other and our morals. Another good point raised is that we should be vetting for education and treatment programs over how often we tend to incarcerate. I strongly believe in this also that is my biggest pet peeve about our system is the lack of equality and effort put into education in the criminal systems. Prisoners have every right to be educated as they are incarcerated they should be learning about morals and basic skills for when they are released. Also treatment programs are the best option instead of sending someone to prison. If someone is sentenced to get help, especially on drug charges, this lowers the prison population and will hopefully in return allow for more people to truly get help for their addictions. We can’t expect a system to improve or the incarceration levels to decrease if we don’t have these other options she spoke about go into effect. We have so many options for many juveniles who go through the system from education programs, boot camps, work details, that more need to be developed for adult criminals. I will always agree that the most heinous of crimes should be punishable by spending time in prison with limited freedoms, but the mandatory sentencing and get tough on crime laws and drug laws have been harming the numbers we put away. When you see the storied of people who have gotten better by participating in treatment programs and then have more successfully reintegrated it’s hard to believe that we don’t continue this trend as a replacement for incarceration. Our problem as pointed out in the video when referencing ‘Susan’ that people who have been affected by incarceration clearly shows how the community can also have an impact on how offenders are treated by giving them a chance once released, providing jobs and a chance to do better and save money and create a bettered life than what they were living previously. Decreasing the prison population does help allocate money to better programs and state and government programs rather than spending millions on those incarcerated that could benefit from an alternative sentencing where they continue to live in the community and work. Marras002
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