Causes of Mass Incarceration
Sentencing LawsThe United States typically has comparatively longer sentences than any other country in the world. If a FIRST time drug offender were convicted, they would almost certainly face 5-10 years in prison,compared to the average of 6 months in most other countries. The number of three-strikes laws present in states across the country exacerbate this. They mandate state courts to sentence third time offenders to 25 years in prison, prohibiting a judge's discretion. Collectively, these harsher prison sentences increase the total incarceration rate.
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The "War on Drugs"Since the initiation of the "War On Drugs" by Nixon and executed by Reagan, drug offenders in federal prisons have increase twelve-fold from 41,000 in 1985 to half a million in 2010.31 million people arrested have been arrested on drug charges, making roughly 1 in 10 Americans experiencing arrests on drug related charges. Up to 2008, 90.7% of the federal prison population was incarcerated for non-violent offences. The number of drug-related charges disproportionately consists of mostly African-American men and women. Due to this so called "War on Drugs", a great part of this country's prison population is comprised of non-violent offenders, who pose no direct threat to society.
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Prison PrivatizationThe privatization of prisons plays a big role in contributing to this trend of Mass Incarceration. Under Reagan, there was a never before seen,or even possible, rise of privatization in the nation's prison complex. For-Profit institutions ,like the Corrections Corporation of America, would face certain death if there level of occupancy was not filled. The prominence of such for-profit institutions, lead to occupancy guarantee clauses which require states to guarantee private prisons an occupancy of an average of 90%. Such clauses tie states to the success of said prisons and the steady flow of prisoners as if they do not meet said quotas they must reimburse the prisons.
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