Economics of Crime
The New Jim Crow provides an insight into mass incarceration. The rationale for assigning this reading is to challenge the assumptions related crime and punishment and determine where the breakdown between assessment of crime and punishment for crime limit the social benefit of punishment. Also, in evaluating the punishment and cycle of crime, it is possible to understand how data itself may assist in perpetuating incarceration and inequities in the treatment of individuals.
You are free to share any points or items that enhanced or affected your perception of the rationale for crime, the “fairness”of punishment, the social impact/cost of crime, the causality of crime and punishment or another related item that affects the assumptions embedded in economic assessment. I have also provided a few prompts below.
Racial indifference rather than overt racism promotes the vicious cycle of incarceration
Social norms affect incarceration, not necessarily crime
There is a racial bias in crime and punishment
Incarceration has many social costs, which include qualitative impacts that affect individual sense of status in a society
Stereotypes of the incarcerated are not necessarily consistent with the reality
This is a short paper assignment. The length should be between 1000 and 1250 words not including in-paper citations and references. APA style is the adopted writing style for this class.
