Very accurate and very sad, but #8 is a bit misconstrued. And you should've mentioned what happens to the actual cons who are stuck in an overcrowded prison. For example, the Philadelphia Prison System is designed to house roughly 6,500 inmates, but currently there are over 12,000 incarcerated there. So where do you think they sleep... on the floor with their head next to the steel sh*tter. So with that being said, sheck this crazy crap out: it's the true story of one young man's journey through the PPS. Amusing and messed up. http://www.theprisonkite.com
We have the parole system to thank for that, principally. Years ago, if you went to prison, you did your time, got out, and went on with your life. They even provided you with a cheap suit and a check; the idea being for you to get a job and re-assimilate back into society. Now, almost everyone who leaves a correctional institution is subject to some sort of monitoring--usually parole--where you have to check in with a parole officer on a regular basis. The parole officer you are assigned to is in the city where your crime was committed, so if you just completed a sentence at San Quentin for a crime you committed in LA, you have to hop a Greyhound--and quick--to get to your parole officer. That can be hard, considering you just did however-many years in prison, you've got no money, and only the possessions you came in with (provided they didn't lose those). As you might be aware, California has a massive homelessness problem; many of those people are former inmates doing everything they can to complete their parole. In San Francisco, the old (and now condemned) Transbay Terminal serves as a de-facto homeless shelter after the buses which operate from there stop running. When the place is deserted, and the huddled forms of people sleeping beneath dirty blankets replace the daytime commuters, it's not an uncommon sight to see the electrical outlets filled with ankle-bracelet chargers. The disturbing reality is that parole is rigged; you are set up to fail, and return right back to prison. The reason is, prison has become a multi-billion dollar industry, both for state-run prisons, as well as newer, privatised institutions. In California, one of the most powerful organisations in state politics is the prison guards union. Make no mistake, these people have a vested interest in making sure incarceration rates stay high--and get higher--because this means more money going into the pockets of prison staff; more guards, more infrastructure, and more power. Whenever the prison guards' union endorses a political issue, they're thinking about one thing: will a particular ballot measure continue to sustain the flow of people into state prisons?
1) The US is a very unequal society. The gap between the haves and have nots is so large that the have nots tend to end up in crime as a result. The gap is far wider than generally accepted elsewhere.
2) The emphasis on the individual and their viewpoint over that of society means people are more inclined to commit crimes against society, since they have been taught not to value it.
3) Ensuring that the threat of prison is real for many people acts as an implicit controlling influence - helping keep them down and under control.
4) Prison is a lucrative money earner for the privatised prisons. Not only do they make money from the taxation of the public to keep the prisoners there, they make money off the slave labour of the prisoners.
The US represents less than 5% of the global population, but more than 25% of the world's total number of incarcerated people! This is some serious imbalance and any responsible politician ought to ask him or herself what the reason for this is. America is still the greatest superpower in the world, but (sorry) America is obviously getting something wrong here. I can only speculate what the reasons are, but I am quite sure that one main reason is that American society simply lacks the social edge and responsibility that you will find in many European countries and I hope for America that it will be able to find that social side as well, because these figures are scary!
Let me start by stating that I am a black male that grew up in a low income area of DC. While I do feel that blacks in general need to take more responsibility for the problems that are prevelant in our communities, some of your points are way off base and show a lack of true willingness to understand what you are talking about.
First, a black person can be a productive member of society without imitating caucasian american culture. It seems the whole basis of your point there is to say that black culture in american is iherently evil and caucasian american culture is inherently good. Neither of those are the case. Most people grow up learning right from wrong, and how to treat those around them. These are not caucasian qualities, they are human qualities. What exactly is caucasian american culture anyway? A white family in Manhattan likely has a different cultural style than a white family living in Seattle WA, San Francisco, CA or Mobile, AL.
As far as your point about their being a larger white population below the poverty line, while that may be true you are ignoring a huge factor: the influx of drugs and guns into the black community. During the Civil Rights movement, the black communities were acutally very productive and had their own culture that did not bring down the other races as you put it. During the 70s and 80's many communities were destroyed by crack cocaine and the weapons that flooded the streets in order to control the supply. This is a tactic this government has used over and over in other countries so its no stretch to see that it happened here as well. As the argument goes, how would blacks have aquired such large amounts of cocaine and semi automatic weapons when they did not have the means (boats, ports, planes, foreign connections) to do so? While drugs did make their way into the poor white communities, and we see them dealing with the meth epidemic, it never had the effect that it did on black communities. Mostly because the poorer comminites that were affected contained 90% of the black population.
Finally, you can fix a lot of the problems in the black community through ways other than destroying them (not even sure how you could even argue thats not a racist statement). Better funding for inner-city school for after school programs, improved infrastructure to bring in more businesses and more jobs, ending the war on drugs so that non violent offenders arent cycled through the prison system where they come out violent offenders and fixing the welfare system so that it encourages people to better themselves, for example I support mandatory birth control for mothers on welfare and discontinuing of aid should they get pregnant again. Things like that will give these communities the foundation needed so that they arent fighting a losing battle with trying to keep the next generation from repeating the mistakes of the previous.
That's another good point. No longer does the idea of having "paid one's debt to society" carry much weight. The notion of "Once a felon, always a felon," and the ability for anyone to perform background checks, has severely affected individuals' ability to return to society and earn a legitimate living.
It has everything to do with our understanding (or lack thereof) of deviance. There was an experiment done a number of years back where high school kids were grouped into two categories according to socioeconomic status. Their patterns of deviance, and more importantly, authorities' response to it, were studied. It was concluded that among the wealthier group (known as the 'saints'), authorities regarded deviant behaviour as "just a teenage phase." "They're just asserting their individuality," it was said, "It's not that they're bad kids, they're just testing the boundaries." Authorities' response to the 'roughnecks' (the lower-class group) on the other hand, was one of resignation. These kids were "the bad apples," "would probably end up in prison, or worse," and their behaviour--despite it being nearly identical to that of the 'saints'--was indicative of a larger pattern that would dominate their lives.
Someone took all this very seriously, as at present, standardised test scores are a major factor in long-term projections for new prison construction. If that's not enough, any educator will tell you that you can fairly accurately predict the average test scores of almost any given area by its zip code. All this speaks to a disturbing reality: that the purpose of prisons is to warehouse the poor.
you have it half right, and i mean, they are going to prison because they are breaking laws, but the question is, why are they breaking laws? its a easy enough answer if you dont ignore the situation that the country has put them of in, plain and simple, the structure of this country still plays out in a very raciest manner
No the elections was not a consensus supporting the status quo. If anything it illustrated disenfranchisement after learning that even when the Democrats have a majority in the House, and Senate as well as the presidency nothing really changes. The Repubs swept because it was their supporters who went to the polls. The US is a nation of fear, and the old white middle class went to vote because the system believes and supports them marginally better than others and they are afraid of brown people and change.
Minorities on the other hand have felt first hand that the system does not work for them and thus are not likely to go to the polls. The 08 elections were different and look how that turned out? A token president who is equally white and black who toes the line just like his old school white predecessors. Democorps or Republicorps its the same story. I think a lot of people now see this which explains the extremely low turnout numbers for elections. There are a lot of people out there working for change, but you're not going to see them kissing babies on TV in the accepted power structure.
socialpyramidNov 10, 2010Buried
I hope I never have to go to prison
WiseDegenerateNov 10, 2010Buried
Very accurate and very sad, but #8 is a bit misconstrued. And you should've mentioned what happens to the actual cons who are stuck in an overcrowded prison. For example, the Philadelphia Prison System is designed to house roughly 6,500 inmates, but currently there are over 12,000 incarcerated there. So where do you think they sleep... on the floor with their head next to the steel sh*tter. So with that being said, sheck this crazy crap out: it's the true story of one young man's journey through the PPS. Amusing and messed up. http://www.theprisonkite.com
techguru2006Nov 10, 2010Buried
1 in ever 100 people in jail? DAMN!!
chrissayboNov 11, 2010Buried
BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY DROP THE SOAP
banderwockyNov 10, 2010Buried
Man, something seriously wrong there...
theredwhynoNov 11, 2010Buried
We have the parole system to thank for that, principally. Years ago, if you went to prison, you did your time, got out, and went on with your life. They even provided you with a cheap suit and a check; the idea being for you to get a job and re-assimilate back into society. Now, almost everyone who leaves a correctional institution is subject to some sort of monitoring--usually parole--where you have to check in with a parole officer on a regular basis. The parole officer you are assigned to is in the city where your crime was committed, so if you just completed a sentence at San Quentin for a crime you committed in LA, you have to hop a Greyhound--and quick--to get to your parole officer. That can be hard, considering you just did however-many years in prison, you've got no money, and only the possessions you came in with (provided they didn't lose those). As you might be aware, California has a massive homelessness problem; many of those people are former inmates doing everything they can to complete their parole. In San Francisco, the old (and now condemned) Transbay Terminal serves as a de-facto homeless shelter after the buses which operate from there stop running. When the place is deserted, and the huddled forms of people sleeping beneath dirty blankets replace the daytime commuters, it's not an uncommon sight to see the electrical outlets filled with ankle-bracelet chargers. The disturbing reality is that parole is rigged; you are set up to fail, and return right back to prison. The reason is, prison has become a multi-billion dollar industry, both for state-run prisons, as well as newer, privatised institutions. In California, one of the most powerful organisations in state politics is the prison guards union. Make no mistake, these people have a vested interest in making sure incarceration rates stay high--and get higher--because this means more money going into the pockets of prison staff; more guards, more infrastructure, and more power. Whenever the prison guards' union endorses a political issue, they're thinking about one thing: will a particular ballot measure continue to sustain the flow of people into state prisons?
digghasnoethicsNov 11, 2010Buried
A number of things:
1) The US is a very unequal society. The gap between the haves and have nots is so large that the have nots tend to end up in crime as a result. The gap is far wider than generally accepted elsewhere.
2) The emphasis on the individual and their viewpoint over that of society means people are more inclined to commit crimes against society, since they have been taught not to value it.
3) Ensuring that the threat of prison is real for many people acts as an implicit controlling influence - helping keep them down and under control.
4) Prison is a lucrative money earner for the privatised prisons. Not only do they make money from the taxation of the public to keep the prisoners there, they make money off the slave labour of the prisoners.
5) The US is a fear-based society.
ineffablepolkNov 10, 2010Buried
#6 seems off. According to it, of the men aged 25-29 in prison, 85.9% are neither white, black, nor Hispanic.
HoopDoctorsNov 10, 2010Buried
Love these graphics.
digitalmotoNov 10, 2010Buried
Never knew the exact numbers, but those are big costs for #10 and #11
PladderNov 10, 2010Buried
The US represents less than 5% of the global population, but more than 25% of the world's total number of incarcerated people! This is some serious imbalance and any responsible politician ought to ask him or herself what the reason for this is. America is still the greatest superpower in the world, but (sorry) America is obviously getting something wrong here. I can only speculate what the reasons are, but I am quite sure that one main reason is that American society simply lacks the social edge and responsibility that you will find in many European countries and I hope for America that it will be able to find that social side as well, because these figures are scary!
tobyrosesNov 10, 2010Buried
that's crazy! 1 in 18!
jroll8481Nov 11, 2010Buried
Let me start by stating that I am a black male that grew up in a low income area of DC. While I do feel that blacks in general need to take more responsibility for the problems that are prevelant in our communities, some of your points are way off base and show a lack of true willingness to understand what you are talking about.
First, a black person can be a productive member of society without imitating caucasian american culture. It seems the whole basis of your point there is to say that black culture in american is iherently evil and caucasian american culture is inherently good. Neither of those are the case. Most people grow up learning right from wrong, and how to treat those around them. These are not caucasian qualities, they are human qualities. What exactly is caucasian american culture anyway? A white family in Manhattan likely has a different cultural style than a white family living in Seattle WA, San Francisco, CA or Mobile, AL.
As far as your point about their being a larger white population below the poverty line, while that may be true you are ignoring a huge factor: the influx of drugs and guns into the black community. During the Civil Rights movement, the black communities were acutally very productive and had their own culture that did not bring down the other races as you put it. During the 70s and 80's many communities were destroyed by crack cocaine and the weapons that flooded the streets in order to control the supply. This is a tactic this government has used over and over in other countries so its no stretch to see that it happened here as well. As the argument goes, how would blacks have aquired such large amounts of cocaine and semi automatic weapons when they did not have the means (boats, ports, planes, foreign connections) to do so? While drugs did make their way into the poor white communities, and we see them dealing with the meth epidemic, it never had the effect that it did on black communities. Mostly because the poorer comminites that were affected contained 90% of the black population.
Finally, you can fix a lot of the problems in the black community through ways other than destroying them (not even sure how you could even argue thats not a racist statement). Better funding for inner-city school for after school programs, improved infrastructure to bring in more businesses and more jobs, ending the war on drugs so that non violent offenders arent cycled through the prison system where they come out violent offenders and fixing the welfare system so that it encourages people to better themselves, for example I support mandatory birth control for mothers on welfare and discontinuing of aid should they get pregnant again. Things like that will give these communities the foundation needed so that they arent fighting a losing battle with trying to keep the next generation from repeating the mistakes of the previous.
constitutionftwNov 11, 2010Buried
Legalize drugs and crime rates will plummet and Cartels will go poor... but hey this is working out so great!
yme1280Nov 10, 2010Buried
Yeah, that would be an important one to remember.
theredwhynoNov 23, 2010Buried
That's another good point. No longer does the idea of having "paid one's debt to society" carry much weight. The notion of "Once a felon, always a felon," and the ability for anyone to perform background checks, has severely affected individuals' ability to return to society and earn a legitimate living.
It has everything to do with our understanding (or lack thereof) of deviance. There was an experiment done a number of years back where high school kids were grouped into two categories according to socioeconomic status. Their patterns of deviance, and more importantly, authorities' response to it, were studied. It was concluded that among the wealthier group (known as the 'saints'), authorities regarded deviant behaviour as "just a teenage phase." "They're just asserting their individuality," it was said, "It's not that they're bad kids, they're just testing the boundaries." Authorities' response to the 'roughnecks' (the lower-class group) on the other hand, was one of resignation. These kids were "the bad apples," "would probably end up in prison, or worse," and their behaviour--despite it being nearly identical to that of the 'saints'--was indicative of a larger pattern that would dominate their lives.
Someone took all this very seriously, as at present, standardised test scores are a major factor in long-term projections for new prison construction. If that's not enough, any educator will tell you that you can fairly accurately predict the average test scores of almost any given area by its zip code. All this speaks to a disturbing reality: that the purpose of prisons is to warehouse the poor.
amyvernonNov 10, 2010Buried
Given #8, I'm curious about the costs for their medical care once they're released.
letherialNov 10, 2010Buried
you have it half right, and i mean, they are going to prison because they are breaking laws, but the question is, why are they breaking laws? its a easy enough answer if you dont ignore the situation that the country has put them of in, plain and simple, the structure of this country still plays out in a very raciest manner
nazuelNov 11, 2010Buried
No the elections was not a consensus supporting the status quo. If anything it illustrated disenfranchisement after learning that even when the Democrats have a majority in the House, and Senate as well as the presidency nothing really changes. The Repubs swept because it was their supporters who went to the polls. The US is a nation of fear, and the old white middle class went to vote because the system believes and supports them marginally better than others and they are afraid of brown people and change.
Minorities on the other hand have felt first hand that the system does not work for them and thus are not likely to go to the polls. The 08 elections were different and look how that turned out? A token president who is equally white and black who toes the line just like his old school white predecessors. Democorps or Republicorps its the same story. I think a lot of people now see this which explains the extremely low turnout numbers for elections. There are a lot of people out there working for change, but you're not going to see them kissing babies on TV in the accepted power structure.
swellinNov 11, 2010Buried
Look up the statistics for non-violent offenders AKA drug use, its insane the amount of people locked up for non-violent crimes, sicking actually.