Overlook Many Socially Injurious Valencia College
It has been suggested that “capitalist societies pass laws that criminalize any actions that jeopardize private property and tend to overlook many socially injurious activities viewed as economically beneficial” (Walsh & Ellis, 2007). Think about the ways our criminal laws contribute to class struggle? Review the article, The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Poverty, and answer whether you think our practice of mass incarceration helps society by promoting public safety or hurt society by criminalizing too many of our citizens, particularly Black Americans. In your response, specifically address the following questions:
- What are some of the consequences of mass incarceration and poverty? Provide examples.
- Considering what you learned about conflict theory, in what ways can criminal laws be used to promote the interests of one group at the expense of another group? Provide examples.
- How can mass incarceration contribute wealth imbalances between groups? Provide examples.
- Finally, how does mass incarceration contribute to social disorganization? Refer to Chapter 8 to review social disorganization theory.
In addition to reading the article, I have included a link to a lecture given by Michelle Alexander about the impacts of mass incarceration on Black Americans. Michelle is the author of the book, The New Jim Crow, which is a very thought provoking analysis of the deleterious effects of mass incarceration and its similarities to Jim Crow laws. I highly recommend that your watch this video: The New Jim Crow (Links to an external site.). Feel free to incorporate what you learned into your discussion post.
If the link does not work, you can view Michelle’s lectures on YouTube.
When answering this question, do not summarize the article. The article is merely a learning tool. Use your own words and ideas to answer these questions. This answer should be at least three paragraphs in length. A paragraph should be a minimum of three complete sentences.