Mass Incarceration In America

Mass Incarceration In America
By Apolinar Vega
Mass incarceration has highly damaged individuals in the United States. According to prisonpolicy.org, there is an estimated 2.3 million behind bars in the year 2020. Many factors contribute to mass incarceration, such as police oppression, prison labor, and the inability to afford a private attorney. Intercity urban areas are more patrolled by law enforcement than suburbs, resulting in more arrests of African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income whites.
During the process in court for the crime or violation committed, many offenders cannot afford their own private attorney because it costs a lot for a reliable attorney. The majority of them end up being represented by a public defender who, because they have many cases already, cannot contribute more focus on their cases and usually end up asking for a plea deal. During these plea deals, once you sign it, you are automatically removed from their rights. Offenders often take deals because they cannot go further into the trial without the correct representation, or they will face more severe consequences if they lose.
The prison industry has been profiting from prisoner’s labor for years. While inmates get paid a couple of cents per hour, they manufacture many kinds of products for big corporations at a low cost while making private companies millions on the market.
Mass incarceration has kept many individuals, especially men, away from their families and communities for years. Many corporations have been profiting from the labor and for every inmate. Since profiting is the industry’s primary focus, they should look at funding more money towards rehabilitation. It costs less for adequate rehabilitation than housing an inmate in prison. They will help someone contribute more positively to our society, helping our economic system save taxpayers money.