The Incarceration Rate in the USA and Policies for Reducing Youth Gang Membership
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This article discusses the reasons behind the high incarceration rate in the USA and policies for reducing youth gang membership. It also covers community assessments, family strengthening programs, gang suppression policies, and school interventions.
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SURNAME1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject 31 May 31, 2018 The incarceration rate in the USA It is estimated that more than 25% of the prisoners in the world comes from the United States of America. This percentage represents over 2.2 million people which are the highest rate in the world, making the USA the country with the highest population of prisoners in the world (Jarrett para 2). Besides the number of people in prisons, it is estimated that about 70 million people in the country have some form of criminal record. For a country with less than 5% of the world to have the highest number of prisoners at over 25%, there must be a number of underlying reasons. I think one of the major reasons for increased incarceration rates is the tough-on-crime policies. It is estimated that the war on drugs has led to an increase of the prison population by over 500%. This percentage represents the number of people found in passion, distribution or usage of drugs. Additionally, the increase has also been as a result of violent crimes, this too can be linked to drugs. For example, with the stringent laws on drugs, the cost of drugs has also gone up making violence as the only means of drug acquisition by addicts. Lack of investment in education is also a major cause; prisoners are not equipped with any skills to lead better lives after leaving prisoners which makes more likely to commit a crime. The underfunded education system and lack of jobs have been a major cause of poverty and increase in crime (Jarrett para 4). The increase is also a result of derogatory sentences where a great number are given sentences that are not commensurate with their
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SURNAME2 actions. This is what makes country’s criminal justice system different from other countries. Other differences include the fact that judges do not frame issues, they do not justify their decisions and do not review complaints (Maxeiner para 6-12). Policies and programs for reducing youth Gang membership Youth are motivated by different factors to join gangs; some of these motivating factors include the presence of family members or friends in the gangs, access to money, drugs, alcohol and for protection(Henslin et al152). Community assessments; In order to effectively deal with the problem of gang involvement, the focus should be on communities. Carrying out community assessments can help in getting to the root causes of gang involvement. Community assessment programs can help in the identification of risk factors, help in the location of youth gangs and identification of youths more likely to join gangs. Because of the uniqueness that exists among communities, each community must devise its own strategies to guide in strategic planning and data collection. Family strengthening programs; Researchers have associated childhood aggression and antisocial behavior as a factor for gang involvement(Rita et al 8). Family-centered programs should put families at the center of gang membership prevention by focusing on the identification of such behaviors in their onset. In addition, these programs should focus on establishing effective family functioning characterized by consistent discipline, high monitoring, and effective family bonds. A strengthened family bond can prevent the likely hood of youth involvement in groups. For families living in high-risk vicinities, such programs can facilitate the creation of social support networks which can be an effective strategy towards gang membership prevention (Rita et al 8). Through such programs, families would stand a better chance of
SURNAME3 knowing who their children’s friends are, family backgrounds and be able to closely monitor their children. Gang suppression policies; Gang suppression targets both known and suspected members of a gang. Gang suppression would require the formation of gang suppression or anti-gang squad whose role would include targeting suspected gang members until they are arrested and seeking out gangsters and gangs. Gang suppression policies would also strengthen community-based interventions(Totten and Douglas p8). School interventions; Gang problems can actually emanate from schools. An active role in schools can help play a role in preventing youths from joining gangs. School intervention would require schools to assess gang problems and put in place strategies to address risk factors that may lead students to join gangs. Research has shown that gang membership among youths is partly contributed by fear in schools. Schools can, therefore, intervene by creating a conducive learning environment to reduce the risk of gang joining(Rita et al p5).
SURNAME4 Works Cited Henslin, James M., et al.Sociology: A down to earth approach. Pearson Higher Education AU, 2015. Valerie, Jarrett. "Why Are Incarceration Rates In The US So High Relative To Other Countries?".Forbes, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/07/01/why-are-incarceration-rates-in-the-us-so-high-relative-to- other-countries/#4c337085f836. Accessed 1 June 2018. Maxeiner, James. "What America Can Learn From Germany's Justice System".The Atlantic, 2012,https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/06/what-america-can-learn- from-germanys-justice-system/258208/?utm_source=twb,Accessed 31 May 2018. Ritter, Nancy, Thomas R. Simon, and Reshmar R. Mahendra. "Changing course: Keeping kids out of gangs."NIJ Journal273.2014 (2014): 16-27. Totten, Mark Douglas.Promising practices for addressing youth involvement in gangs. The government of British Columbia, 2008.