WRITTEN BY JOEY RETTINO
The inequalities in the United States’ justice system range from racial issues, money playing a part in prison retention and inadequate post-prison support–all of which lends to the continuation of wealth inequality.
Laws and policies such as “stop-and-frisk” and “mandatory minimums” allow for large numbers of individuals to rack-up convictions and leave judges’ hands tied when it comes to sentencing.
The disparities in the percentage of different races that are incarcerated are staggering and so are the numbers of those whose employment eligibility plummets following being incarcerated.
Prisons being run as businesses can be attributed to the advent and perpetuation of many of these destructive justice policies. These calls made by persons reaping the fiscal benefits from those incarcerated does not just affect the imprisoned, but also taxpayers and causes diversions in justice services funds that could otherwise be used for beneficial programs for inmates – programs that could possibly keep citizens outside the walls of the over 2.4 million prisons in the United States.
