In The Politics of Imprisonment, Vanessa Barker offers an overview of how each state within the union punishes prisoners uniformly. She states that although America as whole experienced dramatic social changes which resulted in historic rise in crime after the 1960s, each state did not respond or followed the same methods when it came to imprisonment, instead individual states punished differently from one another. According to Barker analysis, this variation or diverse responses to punishment when it comes to criminal offenders is the results of the democratic process of each states. In other words, the democratic process of each state as well as how Americans engage in that process determines the way criminal offenders are punished.
In chapter …show more content…
According to Barker, states impose their control on their citizens by sorting or classifying people into certain groups, one of the mechanism that this power is manifested through is the power to imprison citizen (29). Yet the state is not acting independently of citizen when it imposes this control, it does so according to the democratic process in place (38). Barker states the democratic process consist of two pillars, which are political structures (“the institution and administrative organization of the state” (36)) and collective agency (“mobilization of ordinary people in the policy-making process” (36)). She states these two pillars “form modes of governance” (36) which “significantly shape the way people make sense of political conflict and the way they try to resolve it”(36). As such according to her analysis, Washington political structure is decentralized (ordinary people can influence the policy-making) and collective agency is one in which citizens are more actively involved in the political process and have a sense of mutual obligation towards each other (44). This collective agency in Washington produces citizens who are less polarized and “more collaboration among various social groups” (44), thus the collective agency in Washington is less likely “to impose the repressive powers of the state” (11). As for California, political structure is decentralized like Washington state but collective agency is completely different. Collective agency in California is one in which citizens are completely polarized and suspicious of each other. Which decreases the citizens engagements in the democratic process (43). This decrease results in small portion of citizens handling policies pertain to the larger society (43). And because of mistrust and suspensions, California collective agency will more likely pursue penal policy are more punitive
In chapter …show more content…
According to Barker, states impose their control on their citizens by sorting or classifying people into certain groups, one of the mechanism that this power is manifested through is the power to imprison citizen (29). Yet the state is not acting independently of citizen when it imposes this control, it does so according to the democratic process in place (38). Barker states the democratic process consist of two pillars, which are political structures (“the institution and administrative organization of the state” (36)) and collective agency (“mobilization of ordinary people in the policy-making process” (36)). She states these two pillars “form modes of governance” (36) which “significantly shape the way people make sense of political conflict and the way they try to resolve it”(36). As such according to her analysis, Washington political structure is decentralized (ordinary people can influence the policy-making) and collective agency is one in which citizens are more actively involved in the political process and have a sense of mutual obligation towards each other (44). This collective agency in Washington produces citizens who are less polarized and “more collaboration among various social groups” (44), thus the collective agency in Washington is less likely “to impose the repressive powers of the state” (11). As for California, political structure is decentralized like Washington state but collective agency is completely different. Collective agency in California is one in which citizens are completely polarized and suspicious of each other. Which decreases the citizens engagements in the democratic process (43). This decrease results in small portion of citizens handling policies pertain to the larger society (43). And because of mistrust and suspensions, California collective agency will more likely pursue penal policy are more punitive