Mass Incarceration Nation The Failing Of The American...

Mass Incarceration Nation The Failing of the American Criminal Justice System Sophia Scales Ashford University Criminal Justice 201 Professor Ted Ellis November 17, 2014 American prison systems encompass all three spheres of criminal justice: law enforcement, judiciary, corrections. Within this system, a massive problem exists. America is known as the â€Å"mass incarceration nation† (Hamilton, 2014, p. 1271). Comparatively, the United States encompasses the majority of global prisoners, yet the population is nowhere near that proportion. Just how â€Å"free and equal† is this system? Since Gideon v. Wainwright, the racial divide in the criminal justice system has grown, which is contradictory to its intentions. The American criminal justice system has failed to provide the justice and protections it promises. There are many injustices caused by the mass incarceration of American citizens, especially those of minority descent. More harm is done by incarceration to the individual, their community, and the nation, than if other forms of justice were used. The criminal justice system is divided, with racial and income di sparities defining the nation in way never intended. The vast American criminal justice system can be divided into three separate branches or spheres. American incarceration begins in the branch of law enforcement. Law enforcement starts with mandates presented by Congress. Over incarceration began to rise in the 1980s with Congress creating the USShow MoreRelatedThe New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration Essay1797 Words   |  8 PagesJim Crow laws are regarded as part of the racial caste system that operated in the Southern and Border States in the years between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Under the series of the anti-black laws, African Americans were treated as inferior and second class citizens. The laws have been argued to have represented the legitimization of the anti-black racism in the US. The book The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is written by Michelle Alexander and originally published byRead MoreThe Problem Of The War On Drugs1638 Words   |  7 Pages Many cities in America are facing sluggish economic recovery, stagnant or failing wages among the lowest-income earners and budget constraints for social welfare programs (1)resulting in more than 46.7 million people in poverty. Poverty in America, and the violence and crime that stems from it helps sustain the most prosperous and corrupt industry of them all, prisons. Most people assume the â€Å"War on Drugs† was launched in response to the crisis cause by crack-cocaine in inner city neighborhoodsRead MoreEssay on Criminal Rehabilitation in the United States Justice System1640 Words   |  7 Pagesgreat amount of violence during his or her incarceration. 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Nonetheless, it persists through the state’s use of manipulative forms of communication, molding publicRead MoreComparative Criminal Justice Systems : United States And Japan2455 Words   |  10 PagesComparative Criminal Justice Systems: United States and Japan Gabriel A. Alvear Florida International University Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: United States and Japan Most Americans know the key aspects of our criminal justice system, but fail to learn about criminal justice systems of other nations. However, it is important to learn about other country s criminal justice systems in order to effectively compare it to ours. It helps us realize the faults in our justice system, and fixRead MoreThe Political History Of The Usa1742 Words   |  7 Pagesthe biggest struggles to make the country open-minded towards the issues of race since the Civil War. For most Americans, present day America still remains segregated. Statistics have shown that the discrimination throughout history has been used in a direct behavior against African-American people. Discrimination is the overarching theme and factor in cases of education, the judicial system, and the media portrayal of the race. This paper will examine the continued discrimination exhibited in today’s