America Needs To Rethink The Benefits Of Our Prison System
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An unheard cry for justice in what is a seemingly answerless abyss — This is the reality of racial injustice in the United States of America today. With an estimated 1 in every 3 black men going to prison in their lifetime, this matter has evolved into a massive civil rights issue, making it to the headlines of countless news sources not just across the United States, but around the world. But why exactly is this an issue? Why do we bother giving it more than a moment’s thought?
Roughly 30 percent of the United States’ population is made up of people of color, yet 60 percent of those imprisoned are of color, making them over-represented in the prison population of today’s society. In other words, individuals of color are being disproportionately incarcerated, sentenced to longer prison times, and even becoming subject to the death penalty more than their white counterparts.
Not only is this causing a regression in civil rights in America, but it’s also threatening communities of color by denying equal access to employment, housing, education, voting rights, and countless rights that are no longer being upheld due to the severity of this issue.
It’s these same people who can’t seem to find employment once they get out of prison. In a recent study, it was discovered that having a prison record reduces one’s chances of being hired by 15%, but wait, aren’t we sending people to prison so they ultimately become better, more productive individuals of society? We as a nation, have cultivated the framework for a community that simply creates those who become dependent on the system. In fact, this was estimated to be $57 to $65 billion lost in economic output in 2008 simply because of fall in employment for ex-offenders. This was roughly 1.5–1.7 million jobs that we lost; this was money that we will ultimately pay for.
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