The Pros And Cons Of Prisons

Not only has this stigma infiltrated a reintroduced prisoner’s professional work life, but also their personal life. “Formerly incarcerated students tell me that they agonize about when to tell a romantic partner about their criminal history, only to find that said partners had already Googled them on the first night that they met.” (Uggen, 144). This contributes to the overwhelming stigma of the public and affects the prisoners who are still currently incarcerated. More and more have citizens of the United States been exposed to publicity and exaggeration of the danger of prisoners. As of late, many rumors and cases of people dressed as clowns that kidnap children and murder them have been surfacing across the nation. It has caused immense

Firstly, the numeric population and economic strain caused by prisons is an underlying reason that prisoners are marginalized. “Since the 1970’s, the U.S. prisoner population has increased by more than fivefold...Public dismay over the crushing economic burden of incarcerating and monitoring so many people is growing.” (Gottscalk, 58). Although there is public concern over the increasing prisoner population, the reaction seems to be the removal of workers in prisons. “Between the late 1970’s and the mid-1990’s, the number of educators employed in state prisons fell slightly, despite a threefold increase in the state prison population.” (Gottschalk, 59). Secondly, the public overall fears that prisoners are mentally and/or emotionally unstable as well as physically ill and, therefore, dangerous. “Many prisoners are released back into the community with infectious diseases that have not been identified or properly treated. Prisons and jails have become the health providers of last resort for the mentally ill, the poor, and the disadvantaged.” (Gottschalk,

Finding a long-term job has been near impossible for him. “Most employers today conduct background check even for entry-level positions.” (Uggen, 143). Although understandable to desire the feeling of safety and insurance for the welfare of the business, it is a bit extreme that someone who committed an offense from ten to fifteen years ago may never be able to get an entry-level job. This realization along with the examination of my previous experience of the move-in brought to light that I had participated in acting upon a prejudice and stigmatizing someone with a criminal