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Pros And Cons Of Mass Incarceration

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Along with the famous presidential election, this year has brought many political issues. One of those problems is mass incarceration. Mass incarceration is the problem of too many citizens being imprisoned for unnecessary reasons. Most people know that the United States holds the record for most inmates, with about 2.2 million in prison or jail. Many believe that this number can be lowered if citizens were not subjected to the penalty of jail for unjust reasons or non-violent crimes. Advocates for inmates claim that racial discrimination is part of the reason the number is so high. Statistics shows that about 44% of African Americans living in the United States have been arrested. Others talk about children and if they were not arrested …show more content…
Prisons are full of people who have committed low-risk offenses, leaving no room for the people who have really lost the right to live among society. Many states have cut their findings for prisons, as the cost to maintain the facility grows more and more. Eventually, the amount of space will decrease, leaving us without a place to put serious criminals. To solve this, we can give worthy inmates their freedom by reducing their sentences. Another reason we should start lowering the penalties for non-violent crimes is to help the thousands of families whose life's are tragically affected by a member in prison. Former prisoners have trouble while fighting for their right to vote. It also becomes a struggle to find adequate housing, a constant job, and food. Families dependent on these people suffer only for someone else’s petty crimes, which is completely unjust. Another unfair aspect is bias, which shows up in arrests more often than one would think. Zero tolerance policies are negatively affecting children of color and the disabled. Their arrest rates are higher than others, because of prejudice. The problem is so alarming, that the U.N. Human Rights Committee has expressed their concern for the discrimination that still goes around today. This only shows that all people deserve the chance to be heard, and that those who deserve it should receive a second chance. We can

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