Once a person is labeled as a felon, they must carry that title for the rest of their lives. Because of the discrimination that they face, they begin to cycle in and out of prison. Not being able to find employment or being denied housing sends most felony offenders right back to prison. According to Howard Husock, vice president for policy research for The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, “About 700,000 inmates are released from state and federal prison each year. Of those released, about two-thirds re-offend within three years,” (Tahmincioglu). Felony offenders are often sent back to prison because of the lack of employment opportunities and the severe poverty that they are forced to live in. At times some felons are sent back because since they cannot find employment, they are unable to pay back court fines or sometimes some go back for not finding a job on time and it becomes a probation violation (Return). Cycling in and out of prison keeps mass incarceration at a high rate and these circumstances not only affect the criminals but their loved ones as well. The way America has redesigned the Jim Crow system today has a negative impact on the children with parents who have criminal backgrounds. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a study done on parents in prison showed that the year of 2007 there was 1,518,535 prisoners nationwide and about 809,800 of these prisoners were parents of children under the age of 18 (Glaze). Once these parents are released, they are forced to live in a second-class status permanently and this can have a great deal of effect on the children’s futures. Since the children’s parents are being denied access to public housing, food stamps and employment opportunities, these children are forced to be raised in severe poverty. A theory that has been done by a researcher, who has been funded by the National Institutes of health, claims that the stresses of poverty can lead to impaired learning abilities in children (Stresses). The stress that is triggered by poverty is dangerous and can really affect our children’s future. The New Jim Crow system that has been redesigned in America leaves a lot of people with criminal backgrounds jobless and stuck in a second-class status. Discriminating against the criminals is morally wrong and it not only affects them but others such as their loved ones as well. “All men are created equal” is a famous phrase from The Declaration of Independence that America would like to believe, but it is clear that today’s society is unequal just based on how criminals are treated.
Works Cited Alexander, Michelle. “Schools and the New Jim Crow, an Interview with Michelle Alexander.” Rethinking Schools.org, Rethinking Schools. 23 Jan. 2012.Web. 17 Oct. 2012 Glaze, Lauren E and Maruschak, Laura M. “Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children.” BureauofJusticeStatistics.gov, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 8 Aug. 2008: 1. PDF File. Kennedy, Stetson. Jim Crow Guide : The Way It Was. Boca Raton: Florida Atlantic University Press, 1990. Print. Karjick, Kevin. “Why Can’t Ex-Felons Vote?” Washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2004: A19. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Remembering Jim Crow : African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South. New York: New Press, 2001. Print. “Return of Debtors’ Prisons.” New York Times, 14 Jul 2012. A16. Print. “Stresses of poverty may impair learning ability in young children.” National Institutes of Health. NIH News, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Tahmincioglu, Eve. “Unable to get Jobs, Freed Inmates Return to Jail.” MSNBCNews.com. NBC News, 17 Feb. 2010. 1. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
Cited: Alexander, Michelle. “Schools and the New Jim Crow, an Interview with Michelle Alexander.” Rethinking Schools.org, Rethinking Schools. 23 Jan. 2012.Web. 17 Oct. 2012 Glaze, Lauren E and Maruschak, Laura M. “Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children.” BureauofJusticeStatistics.gov, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 8 Aug. 2008: 1. PDF File. Kennedy, Stetson. Jim Crow Guide : The Way It Was. Boca Raton: Florida Atlantic University Press, 1990. Print. Karjick, Kevin. “Why Can’t Ex-Felons Vote?” Washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2004: A19. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Remembering Jim Crow : African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South. New York: New Press, 2001. Print. “Return of Debtors’ Prisons.” New York Times, 14 Jul 2012. A16. Print. “Stresses of poverty may impair learning ability in young children.” National Institutes of Health. NIH News, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Tahmincioglu, Eve. “Unable to get Jobs, Freed Inmates Return to Jail.” MSNBCNews.com. NBC News, 17 Feb. 2010. 1. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
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