On September 20, Eric Schlosser visited the University of North Dakota Law School to discuss the expanding prison system and the mass incarceration rate in the United States. He explained that the United States encompasses the largest prison system in the world. There are currently 2.2 million people incarcerated throughout the country. Schlosser specified that number of individuals incarcerated is not due to a population increase, but due in part to New York Governor Rockefeller’s harsh drug laws. Currently 693/100,000 Americans are incarcerated – an abnormally high proportion. Schlosser also addressed the population of those in prison. He stated that there is a disproportionate number of African American, Latino, the poor, the illiterate, and the mentally ill, while 70% of the incarcerated
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He questioned who should be separated from society and what that number of those in prison would then be. Of the 2.2 million people in American’s prisons, approximately 800,000 individuals should be imprisoned, according to Schlosser. These 800,000 criminals are those who have committed violent and serious crimes such as murder, aggravated assault, and rape. The remaining 1.4 million in prison may be best dealt with through rehabilitation services. It is necessary for all people to have access to education, economic opportunities, and rehabilitation and drug treatment centers to aid in the decline of those incarcerated. Furthermore, these services allow the individuals who will eventually be released in community to learn how to live free of crime and be a contributing member of society. Schlosser explained that incarceration should be the last resort for criminals who cannot rehabilitate in a center. He believes that reformation of the correctional system in North Dakota is paving the way for other states as it is “bold and
He questioned who should be separated from society and what that number of those in prison would then be. Of the 2.2 million people in American’s prisons, approximately 800,000 individuals should be imprisoned, according to Schlosser. These 800,000 criminals are those who have committed violent and serious crimes such as murder, aggravated assault, and rape. The remaining 1.4 million in prison may be best dealt with through rehabilitation services. It is necessary for all people to have access to education, economic opportunities, and rehabilitation and drug treatment centers to aid in the decline of those incarcerated. Furthermore, these services allow the individuals who will eventually be released in community to learn how to live free of crime and be a contributing member of society. Schlosser explained that incarceration should be the last resort for criminals who cannot rehabilitate in a center. He believes that reformation of the correctional system in North Dakota is paving the way for other states as it is “bold and