Many factors have aided in the revolutionizing of our current sentencing structure. Although the process may be painstaking, the results are more than rewarding, if changes are implemented and adhered too. Out of the many factors listed in our textbook, there were a few that needed to be briefly explained in order to fully grasp what our countries judicial system is up against.
One factor that leads to the change in sentencing structure is the use of crime control and corrections for potential political gain during public office elections. According to a 2011 report published by Justice Policy Institute, funding for private institutions originated from private political campaign donations, lobbyists and relationships with government officials. …show more content…
Attica prisoners took hostages and demanded better living conditions after hearing about the killing of George Jackson at San Quentin. Specifically, Attorney William Kunstler was called in to negotiate on behalf of the prisoners. (Kunstler & Kunstler, 2010) There were over 20 demands that were voiced with a majority being basic human rights. On September 13, four days after failed negotiations taken place, the governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, ordered state police to take back over the prison using lethal force. In the end, 43 people were dead including ten correctional officers and eighty-nine others were seriously injured. The most basic rights of a human were violated leading to uprisings of the Prisoners ' Rights Movement, which opened the floodgates for prisoners to air their grievances about the conditions of their imprisonment, including the right of filing Habeas …show more content…
Sentencing Commission, “prison sentences of black men were nearly 20 percent longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years.” (Palazzolo, 2014) Racial disparity challenges the values upon which our criminal justice system rests. Some systemic causes of racial disparity are higher crime rates, inequitable access to resources, legislative decisions, and overt racial bias. It is important to note that arrest rates are computed from reporting crimes and crimes that official see for themselves. Class and race have a substantial impact on the offenders’ participation and treatment in the criminal justice system. Whether community rehabilitation programs exist depends on the class of the community. An example would be middle-class parents opposed to lower class, where in a middle-class community there might be counseling and therapeutic services to remedy problems before they get out of hand. (Schrantz, McElroy, & Mauer) As mentioned before, legislation decisions, like the three-strike legislation, fell disproportionately on minorities, while having “no effect on lowering crime”. (Chen, 2008) As a final point of racial disparity, racial bias can be found in our language, conduct, and policies in our current criminal justice agencies. Prosecutors and even elected officials might feel some sort of connection with the offender, however it is extremely important to detect and correct bias behaviors in all realms of the judicial
One factor that leads to the change in sentencing structure is the use of crime control and corrections for potential political gain during public office elections. According to a 2011 report published by Justice Policy Institute, funding for private institutions originated from private political campaign donations, lobbyists and relationships with government officials. …show more content…
Attica prisoners took hostages and demanded better living conditions after hearing about the killing of George Jackson at San Quentin. Specifically, Attorney William Kunstler was called in to negotiate on behalf of the prisoners. (Kunstler & Kunstler, 2010) There were over 20 demands that were voiced with a majority being basic human rights. On September 13, four days after failed negotiations taken place, the governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, ordered state police to take back over the prison using lethal force. In the end, 43 people were dead including ten correctional officers and eighty-nine others were seriously injured. The most basic rights of a human were violated leading to uprisings of the Prisoners ' Rights Movement, which opened the floodgates for prisoners to air their grievances about the conditions of their imprisonment, including the right of filing Habeas …show more content…
Sentencing Commission, “prison sentences of black men were nearly 20 percent longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years.” (Palazzolo, 2014) Racial disparity challenges the values upon which our criminal justice system rests. Some systemic causes of racial disparity are higher crime rates, inequitable access to resources, legislative decisions, and overt racial bias. It is important to note that arrest rates are computed from reporting crimes and crimes that official see for themselves. Class and race have a substantial impact on the offenders’ participation and treatment in the criminal justice system. Whether community rehabilitation programs exist depends on the class of the community. An example would be middle-class parents opposed to lower class, where in a middle-class community there might be counseling and therapeutic services to remedy problems before they get out of hand. (Schrantz, McElroy, & Mauer) As mentioned before, legislation decisions, like the three-strike legislation, fell disproportionately on minorities, while having “no effect on lowering crime”. (Chen, 2008) As a final point of racial disparity, racial bias can be found in our language, conduct, and policies in our current criminal justice agencies. Prosecutors and even elected officials might feel some sort of connection with the offender, however it is extremely important to detect and correct bias behaviors in all realms of the judicial