John Irwin The Jail Analysis

For most people, the idea slavery and the loss of freedom, along with basic human rights, ended with the abolishment of slavery and the following civil rights movement. However, authors John Irwin and Michelle Alexander bring light to the startling present day horrors that convicted criminals face as they journey through America’s jail system. It appears that criminals no longer are simply punished for the duration of their sentence, but for the rest of their lives as well. In, “The Jail,” John Irwin describes what it is like for a criminal to initially be arrested and further processed into a prison. It is at this time that a person first experiences a complete loss of freedom. Before, they had choices and could do as they wished with their lives, whether it be positive or negative. Once under arrested, these people have arguably less rights than slaves did hundreds of years prior. They have to be told when to sit, stand, where to walk, and when they can eat. I do not want to be misunderstand and say that this is always a bad thing. These measures are sometimes necessary in order to control and manage people who have not been able to abide by society’s laws. In addition, to losing their basic
The issue here is that employers will often discriminate, against former criminals during the hiring process. It is almost impossible to even get an interview if someone has to indicate that they have a criminal record on a job application. To make matters worse, a released criminal will be hit with a bevy of fines and payments that need to be made to the state ranging from public defender fees to expenses incurred in prison. As if living on minimum wage, without government help, and with little to no job security wasn’t hard enough, these fines make it nearly impossible for people to support