Prison State Sociological Theory

In the PBS film Prison State, filmmakers follow the lives of four individuals throughout incarceration in the Kentucky Criminal Justice system, as well as efforts made to reform the system and the effect on inmates. They also studied the impact of criminalization of Juveniles for minor crimes, and the incarceration of the mentally ill and drug addicted. Among the many staggering statistics revealed on the Kentucky Criminal Justice System in the film, was the amount spent on housing the growing inmate population. According to the film, the state of Kentucky’s spending jumped by 220%, about half a billion dollars, in housing inmates between 1999 and 2010. Money which took away from funding that could have been spent on preventative measures, such as after school programs, extracurricular activities, and community improvement programs. However, while there are many strategies on how to prevent crime, there are factors that can help …show more content…
The theory states that Delinquency and crime can be contributed to by the interaction with the environment a person lives in, family, and peers. In Beecher terrace, 1 in 6 residents find themselves in the prison system. Families are especially effected. For example, many in the community, have parents, grandparents, cousins, or siblings who have been in the criminal justice system, or been arrested. For a child who grows up around the constant revolving door of the prison system, the chance of being swept up within it grows. The environment plays a significant role as well in perpetuating crime. As Sociologist Michelle Alexander states in the film, children in these communities attend schools that are heavily patrolled by police officers, and small offenses are treated like felonies. Ultimately, what adolescents see around them is internalized and the idea of prison being their destiny and all they can ever accomplish begins to