238). Furthermore, prison stigmatizes convicts, and, upon release many people, particularly employers, are reluctant to take a chance on someone with the stigma of a prison record (Macionis, p.238). Prison also breaks social ties between the prisoner and non-criminal friends and family, weakening the very type of community ties that are believed to help deter criminal behavior (Macionis, p.238). Therefore, if one of the goals of the tough-on-crime stance is to reduce criminal activity, it is clear that American prisons simply are not accomplishing that goal.
In addition, over the past two decades, "the American prison population has climbed from 300,000 to more than two million- roughly equal to the combined population of Austin, Denver, Nashville, and Washington, D.C." (Silverstein, p.1). In addition, "largely because of racially-biased drug sentencing laws, about half of America's prison population is African-American and one-quarter of all black men are likely to be imprisoned at some point during their lifetimes" (Silverstein, p.2). That statistic cannot be taken in isolation. The rise in incarceration of black males has followed quickly on the heels of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and exists in an era when black males are able and willing to assert their political rights, which would certainly threaten the status quo for many individuals, particularly those in power. Man in prison cannot participate in society, cannot interact with his family, has very limited employment opportunities upon release, and, perhaps most significantly, in many states will not ever be able...
Even when a released criminal is able to find work, his earnings will be approximately half of those of a similarly qualified individual without a criminal background (Street, p.34).
The problem with fixing the prison system is that the prisons are not the problem. While they actually encourage criminality, the real problem is that so many people are being diverted into prisons in the first place. Many prison-eligible offenses in the United States are either non-criminal behavior or such low-level criminal behavior that it would only result in fines in other nations. Changing the underlying laws and policies, including diverting non-violent drug offenders to treatment programs, would go a long way towards solving the problem. However, the reality is that even if all of these laws were immediately changed, there are still multiple generations of African-American males with criminal histories that are going to keep them from fully participating in society. Changing attitudes towards those who have been convicted of criminal offenses will have to be a necessary component of any social change.
Works Cited
Macionis, John J. Sociology. 13th ed. City of Publication. Prentice Hall, 2009.
Silverstein, Ken. "Introduction." Prison Nation: The Warehousing of America's Poor. Eds.
Tara Herivel and Paul Wright. New York. Routledge, 2003.1-5. Print.
Street, Paul. "Color Blind." Prison Nation: The Warehousing of America's Poor. Eds.
Tara Herivel and Paul Wright. New York. Routledge, 2003.30-40. Print.
