Incarceration Nation

In this final post for AP US GOV, I would like to discuss domestic policy, more specifically, prison reform. I was inspired to write about this topic because I watched an episode of the television show 30 Days where Morgan Spurlock spent thirty days in prison. My eyes were opened to the many deficiencies of the system. Being the nerd that I am, I decided to do more research on this topic immediately after watching the episode. I believe that if Congress implemented more domestic policies to fix problems with the prison system, rather than economic policies to finance these largely ineffective institutions, that the country would be a safer place.

Currently, the United States leads the world in the highest prison population. Approximately 2.3 million Americans are behind bars, which translates to about 1 in every 100 people. Within our state, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted to reform the state prisons in 2005 with a re-branding campaign. He added the word “rehab” to the department of corrections, making it officially the “California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation”. However, this name change was not enough to fix the system because three years later California has the second highest prison population in the country and the highest recidivism rate, an astounding seventy percent. One of the main reasons Schwarzenegger failed is because although prisons have become economic burdens, many people believe that locking up so many people is making the community safer. In attempts to not appear looking soft on crime, Schwarzenegger backed off the issue.

In its annual report in 2005, the Corrections Corporation of America described new legislation that was being proposed “that could lower minimum sentences for some nonviolent crimes and make more inmates eligible for early release…Also, sentencing alternatives under consideration could put some offenders on probation with electronic monitors who would otherwise be incarcerated.” I thought that finding alternatives to prison sentences, such as electronic monitoring, might be a good alternative because the prison system is overcrowded, costly, and obviously ineffective at rehabilitating people if 70% return.

Because there are multiple issues that make the current prison system ineffective, I have tried my best to come up with policies that address each individual issue. Firstly, with staggering amounts of new and returning inmates, laws such as the “Three Strikes Law” definitely need to be overturned. It is both costly and ineffective to incarcerate a person for the rest of their life for something like petty theft. Secondly, a large portion of the prison population suffers from mental illness. These people may have committed crimes due in part to their illness and become violent within prison. Upon release, they cannot function in society and end up back in prison. I propose that there needs to be a large increase in the amount of facilities for the mentally ill. These facilities would reduce the prison population, curb homelessness, and get these people the care that they deserve. Drug rehabilitation should also be a part of prison. Currently, adequate preparation is not given to inmates educating them how to function in society and making them effective citizens. Often times, criminals fall into the lifestyle of prison and enjoy being there as opposed to living on the outside. One problem that I thought of with rehabilitation is that oftentimes when one commits a crime, they receive rehabilitation and job instruction that was not available to them before they committed the crime. This got me to thinking that in order to truly decrease the population of prisons, not only do changes need to be made inside, but within the community as well. Having better education, job opportunities and community centers can give people the tools to be successful in life instead of resorting to theft or drug dealing which constitutes why a large number of people are in and out of prison.

Many companies, such as those that build the prisons, provide food, the clothing companies and security agencies are not pushing with reform. Prisons, like anything else, are a business and a profitable one at that. However, they are burdensome to taxpayers and their money could be better spent providing proactive programs within the community as well as rehabilitation for current prisoners. There is a difference between being tough on crime and being smart on crime and Americans better start thinking before its too late.

Iowa Caucus Results

This week I read an editorial from the Los Angeles Times about the results of the Iowa Caucuses and how they may affect the election of the next president of the United States. The leading candidates were Barrack Obama and Mike Huckabee. This article pointed out that while the caucus had some unexpected winners, it made evident that there were some clear losers. The most evident was Hilary Clinton who came in third, which was very surprising, considering all the time and money she spent campaigning in Iowa. On the Republican side, the caucuses resulted in a big defeat for Guiliani. The surprising thing about Huckabee’s victory was that he did not do as much preparation for Iowa as many of his fellow candidates. Although it is not likely that Huckabee will be successful in New Hampshire, the author of this article made the point that the voters of Iowa seemed to be more concerned with the personality of the candidates, rather than their reputation of being a “front runner”. The fact that the winners were unexpected definitely leaves the door for president open and the race is not over yet. Although its just a bunch of people from Iowa’s opinion, this caucus definitely plays a big part in the opinions of voters across the country and how they will cast their ballot.
I believe that the author of this article makes a valid point that while this caucus will not necessarily reveal the results of the next presidential election, they always seem to have interesting turnouts. Whether than declaring a definite winner, it displays who will really struggle in the election, because national polls can only show so much and people can change their minds frequently.

Teenage Pages should stay out of Washington

In the Washington Post this week there was an article about two Pages who had oral sex in a public area of the Capital Hill Dormitories. The pages used in political offices are usually juniors in high school. The ones caught in the act were dismissed. However there is criticism that there has been some lax oversight in supervising these pages. Also in 2006, Florida GOP Mark Foley was forced to resign after it was shown that he sent sexually explicit emails to his male pages. In both of these cases there were people who claim to have been unaware but were obviously enablers in both situations.
I believe that in order to solve this problem, high school students should not be allowed to work in government offices. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to be able to do summer internships and learn more about a career as a government official. However, I feel that if sex scandals become an issue among minors, who are involved in the government, something is terribly wrong. People who are not old enough to vote are assisting government officials and acting immaturely in way that reflects on the reputation of the government as a viable source of power. There will always be sex wrapped up in politics, but I think adding teenagers into the mix is just asking for trouble. Although I’m sure the pages who were dismissed are the exception and not the rule when it comes to teen assistants, I feel it is better to let them go completely.

The Clinton Women Take On Iowa

This week I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about Hilary Clinton’s new campaigning strategy in Iowa. While Barrack Obama was there with Oprah, Clinton tried to show a new side of herself by bringing her mother, Dorothy Rodham and her daughter Chelsea Clinton. She also tried not to bash her fellow candidates as she has done in the past. When given the chance to condemn Obama, she has said that “all the Democratic candidates were capable”. With the media attention devoted to Oprah, Clinton used the day to make a more personal, direct appeal to voters. The crowds listening to her speeches, held in an elementary school gym, numbered only about 100-150 people. She also set aside large blocks to time to take questions, shake hands, pose for pictures, and sign autographs. Her mother and daughter came along with her to show the kinder more approachable side of Clinton. In some polls, about half of the respondents have said that they dislike her. While making a speech about helping families to overcome the cost of long term elder care, she mentioned that her mother is living with her, showing how she could relate to the topic.
I think it was smart for Clinton to bring along her family with her to Iowa. I also believe it was smart to choose her daughter and mother rather than her husband. This is because it shows her more caring side and makes her more relatable. The only unfortunate thing is that a lot of the media was not around to see this change in personality because Oprah also happened to be there. As for the people who did get to see Clinton in action, perhaps it will boost her chances of wining the Iowa caucuses.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-clinton9dec09,1,4318860.story

35 Miles Per Gallon Standard

This week I read an article from the Los Angeles Times about a bill that has the potential to greatly effect our environment in a positive way. Congress is proposing a measure providing for a 40% increase in fuel efficiency for new cars and light trucks by 2020 for a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon. This bill is expected to include a requirement that greater amounts of homegrown fuel such as ethanol be added t the nation’s gasoline supply. It also is likely to include a measure requiring utilities to generate more electricity from cleaner sources such as the sun and wind. Most Republicans seem to have complaints about this bill because they feel that it would lead to lighter, less safe vehicles, threaten auto industry jobs and limit customer choice. However, higher gas prices have many people thinking that this bill will probably be passed. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers expressed support for the measure on Saturday.
I think that this measure is an important one and will have a strong impact on our environment. The United States needs to become a more fuel efficient country. I believe this bill forces auto makers to become creative and find ways to make fuel efficient cars more accessible and better. I think the other aspects of the bill are good too, using sun and wind energy. Cutting down on the amount of oil we use could help the prices to go down and will also be better for the environment so I really hope President Bush doesn’t veto it.

Nutrition Considered in Farm Bill

This week I read an article from the LA Times about the farm bill being passed through congress and how it should be altered to provide more nutritious meals for public schools to help prevent obesity. The farm bill sets the nation’s agricultural agenda every five years. The urge by parents, nutrition experts and physicians, to rewrite the bill delayed it until next year. This will give the advocates more time to educate people in wanting to revise this bill. In previous years, the issue associated with the farm bill was over subsidies, but now nutrition has become a major concern. The $288 billion bill would spend more on fruits and vegetables. Ann Cooper, a food coordinator at schools in Berkley, claims “If we want to significantly impact the long term health of our children, we need to change the food in the center of the plate, the entrée. The farm bill negatively impacts the entrée by subsidizing food we don’t necessarily eat, like corn and soy. There’s so much fat hidden I these highly processed foods that end up on our kid’s plates”. Senators Lautenberg and Lugar want to expand a pilot program that began with the 2002 farm bill that provides elementary schools with fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks. The program, which started in four states now serves 175,000 students in 14 states.
I believe that it is a good idea to revise this farm bill because obesity is a significant problem in our society today and will impact the lives of future generations. I believe school meals should be nutritious because some poor students may not get the nutrition they need at home so anything that would help is important. It is also important that money goes towards healthier food instead of subsides for farmers who do not produce foods that are healthy.

Freedom of Speech Taken Too Far

Please excuse this late post, I was on Kairos :)

This week I found a current even that has to do with the protection and violation of the first Amendment of the Constitution. A Kansas church was preaching that U.S. combat deaths in Iraq are God’s just punishment for America’s tolerance of gays and lesbians. A federal jury in Baltimore ordered Westboro Baptist Church to pay $11 million in damages to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq. Members of the church had picketed outside of the funeral of a soldier carrying offensive signs that read “Fag troops” and “God hates you”. The jury found that the protestors were liable for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This ruling does not conflict with the first amendment because it does not require anyone to put up with intentional insults or trespassing on private property.
The family of the soldier did have the right to collect damages from the church because they were trespassing on a private ceremony and stating things that they knew would intentionally harm other people. It is one thing to have a different view from others around you and express it. But to provoke others with your beliefs at inappropriate times, such as a funeral, should not be allowed. People use the first amendment as an excuse to say whatever they want and cause offense to others, but a line should be drawn of when it’s not appropriate to make these kinds of comments.