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I think one the biggest problems we face as country is the fact that 50 percent of the people that are incarcerated are in there for minor drug charges like marijuana. We tend to assume that anyone who does marijuana is a violent criminal with some wild addiction. Not only that but in this day in age minorities are still given harsher charges than most whites. Also the amount of tax money that the people of america have to pay to contribute to this large prison scale could be used for something more helpful to the country. So to fix these problems I propose that our justice system not be so stereotypical on the minorities and give equal charges. Not only that but get rid of this minor drug charges that are getting people locked up for marijuana which so far has been a seemingly harmless drug. With these changes I believe as a whole economy we can improve by putting our money in other things besides prisons.

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I think a problem we face as a society is the way we treat each one another . In this case "criminals" i feel like a lot of people are quick to labeling a person as a criminal whether or not they even have evidence they are guilty just by something as simple as appearance. People who have greater economic power or at a "higher" rank in society tend to treat people differently. Political and power control has gotten out of hand , sadly even within our public servants. I think a solution to this problem can start with treating people with common courtesy and respect .P

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In America, we approach the issue of crime as good guys (people who have not been caught and convicted of any crime) against the bad guys (criminals who have been caught and convicted).  We also treat criminals as something less than human.  It's true a lot of criminals convict horrible crime, e.g., murder.  But one thing the father said in the Michael Moore Returns to Norway video was that his killing my son didn't make me want to kill him.  We approach the issue of crime as one of payback, revenge, and punishment.  We don't approach it as one of rehabilitation.  Instead of locking people up and throwing them away, it might be better to try to setup circumstances where the people can be successful in our society.  Helping people get a good education, learn a specific job or skill might be a better investment of money than locking people up in cages.  I'm not saying educated people and people with a job don't commit crimes. But the facts and evidence shows that poorer and possibly less educated people get locked up more.  They can't afford good lawyers or representation.  They don't understand their rights.  We need to humanize the criminal justice system.  We need to treat people as humans.  We need to redirect money to educate people, give them jobs, help them with mental illness than to locking them up and giving them no help.

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In America, we approach the issue of crime as good guys (people who have not been caught and convicted of any crime) against the bad guys (criminals who have been caught and convicted).  We also treat criminals as something less than human.  It's true a lot of criminals convict horrible crime, e.g., murder.  But one thing the father said in the Michael Moore Returns to Norway video was that his killing my son didn't make me want to kill him.  We approach the issue of crime as one of payback, revenge, and punishment.  We don't approach it as one of rehabilitation.  Instead of locking people up and throwing them away, it might be better to try to setup circumstances where the people can be successful in our society.  Helping people get a good education, learn a specific job or skill might be a better investment of money than locking people up in cages.  I'm not saying educated people and people with a job don't commit crimes. But the facts and evidence shows that poorer and possibly less educated people get locked up more.  They can't afford good lawyers or representation.  They don't understand their rights.  We need to humanize the criminal justice system.  We need to treat people as humans.  We need to redirect money to educate people, give them jobs, help them with mental illness than to locking them up and giving them no help.

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One current problem with the way that our society approaches crime involves the employment of ex-criminals. Once the criminal is released from prison it is unlikely for them to find work. One solution to this issue would be to offer tax breaks to the companies willing to hire these employees. This would be beneficial to our society since it could possibly allow the ex-criminal to become a normal functioning member of society.

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If you've ever looked at the return rate of criminals in prison, the numbers are higher than they should be. You would think that if someone is in prison and they get out they would do everything in their power not to go back considering how terrible it actually is. In reality I partially blame the prison. If they were to focus on why this crime was committed and how to prevent this person from doing it again, somewhat like a drug rehab, we may be able to lessen the number of prisoners not only returning but knowing this info could potentially stop future crimes from happening.

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An issue with the current way that we approach crime is the court system. I'm sure that many people have seen those "college student rapes girl, gets zero punishment" articles around the internet, comparing it to "woman steals groceries to feed children, gets 8 years and her children taken away" type of pictures. While yes I agree that a crime is a crime and people committing a crime understand it, but I do not think someone who gets sentenced for drugs should do a longer sentence time than someone who raped or did worse to someone else. I think this kind of relates to the control theory--people committing the crime might wonder "how much can I really get in trouble for doing this?" compared to other people arrested for the same crime or a different crime. I think there is just no fairness. A solution would weighing the severity of a crime and how bad it really is, ages should be considered as well, especially with drugs involved. People get into the wrong things and it can mess them up for life.

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One of many of our biggest problems with prisons is that they promote criminal activity by putting criminals in the same space and not do anything to correct the problem and focus on rehabilitation but rather just keep criminals in a confined space, if even by force. I believe, that in adopting some of Norways values we can focus on stopping crime before it happens by disbanning hate in all sense of the term and teaching children from a young age to accept, and love and by not suscepting them to violence and crime they will not turn towards that.

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One of the biggest issues with the way we deal with crime is that we choose to incarcerate criminals and forget about them. Granted it is a population that is easy and almost permissible to forget about. However in the U.S. we choose to throw people in prison, and leave them there as oppose to helping them to get out and join society in a civilized manner. We do not give them the tools or opportunities to change or join society in a positive manner. We don't give them a chance to clean up their act, and help them grow as people. We label them as criminals, and force them to keep that title for the rest of their lives. Once labeled as a criminal they are usually unable to find a job, and housing. They are not given any help. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why we have one of the highest recidivism rates.

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A current issue that we face when it comes to crime is to lead with force. With force I mean that when someone resists back the next thought is for a cop to often pull a gun. A gun and not a taser. In the film (13th) Eric Garner had a handful of cops on him holding him to the point he couldn't breathe. The cops used so much force in the chokehold that it was a reason for Garner dying along with compression on his chest from the cops being on him. I think that situations that lead to force can be seen though the labeling theory in that when a cop encounters someone who is resisting they assume the worse and think that they are in the risk of being killed themselves and not to think that maybe the suspect is resisting for another reason such as being special needs and not understand what it happening to them.
To solve this issue I think that there needs to be better training when it comes to using force, how to use force, the right way to use force, and when it is appropriate to use force. Force should not be the first thing a cop does to detain a suspect.

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A problem with the current way we approach crime is that we treat prisoners as if they were subhuman, we don't seek rehabilitation- we seek punishment, even though when these people come back into society they're not changed in any way by this. As shown in the film 13th, inmate exploitation is seen as normal even though its just an extension of slavery. I think the first steps to take in order to change this is to stop private prisons all together since they are a big contributor to the "no rehabilitation" mentality, since this is probably not going to happen because  money doesn't have any morals, I think another way would be to pass a law requiring every state to have a rehabilitation program in every prison instead of just spending taxpayer money to house people in a strange facility that doesn't help anyone.

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Reaction to crime and the criminal justice system

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Reaction to crime and the criminal justice system

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One problem with todays criminal justice system is overly punitive treatment of youth. I believe that sentencing youth to life in prison without hope for ever being released is an extreme and unjust practice that grossly undermines the values of our justice system. Using the Control Theory we could provide social, emotional, and physical balance for these kids and in turn the kids will have better
control over themselves.

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Ever since the "War on Drugs" kicked off in the 70's, drug use/possession charges have made up a huge number of arrests in America. Coupled with minimum sentencing laws and weed still being classed as a schedule 1 drug in the majority of the country, a person can be caught with a tiny amount of weed and be thrown in jail for a year or more. This extremely ineffective and outdated part of the criminal justice system only serves to overpopulate prisons (which it is doing spectacularly) and potentially ruin people's lives for a minor offence. The solution to this issue is simple: inform the American public about the truth of marijuana and it's effects, stop miseducating children in schools saying it is a gateway drug etc, and gain enough support to eventually overturn some of these ridiculous drug laws that are still in place. This solution would take time but it will definitely work once the majority of public opinion has changed. Plus it can all be achieved legally through the government and the people's own elected officials.

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Unfortunately the privatization of prisons did not become a recent problem, instead it has been an issue for years and has continuously become worse in the way our government handles crime. We can see from the documentary 13TH and the John Oliver module video that private prisons have poor treatment of inmates, little trained staff, and above all have financial interests that focus on the increase of mass incarceration. Private prisons make big investments in lobbying and bills that enhance the punishment for low level offenses. Consequently they invest heavily in political campaigns that support a punitive criminal justice. We can use new criminology theory to understand that private prisons have the best interest of wealthy taxpayers, not the offenders. I think a solution to this issue is to reform the model of private prison by creating a separation from corporations and political campaigns. They should make it illegal, just like policy makers make offenses criminal, to have a link between policy making and benefits to profitable corporations, or any corporation for that matter. The reform should include better training for guards, and rehabilitation for offenders. Lastly, free labor should not longer be imposed on prisoners in private prisons, instead they should obtain conventional recreational activities that could enhance improvement in behavior and mental health.

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One of the best forms to deal with crime is through rehab. Such as we take our time to seek help for people who are mentally ill who try to suicide themselves or a kill an individual or harm, we need to build a better system for prisoners within cells. Of course, is criminals are with criminals with no other surrounding but their cell they will tend to go crazy and act violently. We need to build a system like Norway which I believe will benefit is greatly due to teaching inmates its not only about imprisonment but freedom is taken away not being able to enjoy time with your loved ones and enjoying holidays with strangers and not family. Sometimes we forget that prisoners are people and they think, and feel as well. We label them as criminals and don't give them a  chance to amend for their mistakes. Norway has 21 years max of imprisonment which is a good amount of time for a person to mediate and be in rehabilitation and get on with their life once done with their sentence. It will benefit us in many ways such as in food services, health care and telephones services this will narrow the cost for prison.

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The immediate sentence to prison we tend to give is a big problem we have right now.  This is a problem because prisons, especially in the United States, are overcrowded.  A solution to this problem is instead of instantly sending someone straight to jail, give them a chance to set up their own punishment.  Everyone (the jury) could vote on this and decide if he would take the punishment he provided, or the sentence provided by the judge.  Having a system like this will give everyone a chance to escape being in prison, a feeling that they are being treated more nice, are given more rights, and even solve (help solve) the problem of overcrowding in prisons today.

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I think the excessive and brute force that police use is explained by new criminology and labeling theory. This is not true of all in the police force, but many desire power, and that authoritarianism can be why they are drawn to that career path. The police want to remain in power (rightfully so, as they are upholding the law), and that may lead them to act in ways that will increase their power (if they're corrupt), or react too strongly out of fear of those they are confronting. Also, they may label people too soon as "deviants," and treat them as lesser, which can lead to excessive violence, and a complete disregard for their value.

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The problem we have with prisons in America is that the officers are constantly threatening, torturing, and abusing the inmates. They carry guns, tasers, bullet proof vests, and other weapons at all times. In Norway, the officers do not even carry again because all they do is simple speak to the inmates and the problem is solved. In America, the cells are very small and barely have a bed. The food is trash and there has even been cases of maggots being found in it. In Norway, the worst prison would be a luxury compared to the inmates in America. The inmates in Norway pretty much have their own room. They don't try to fight or cause harm to the other inmates because there is really no need to. In America that is completely different. The inmates are constantly harming and abusing each other. Norway is filled with love and trying to prevent hate whereas America is filled with hate. Americans hate on each other such as hate crimes, labeling, racism, and many other ways of hate and that is because that is the way many people were brought up. If America was brought up with love, I believe the murder and crime rate would decrease by a miraculous percentage. It would be hard to change to way America is now, but maybe if everyone was able to see how Norway is, they would want a change as well.

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The problem here in the USA is labeling theory and being deviant as well as new criminology. We should be able to do the same as Norway. I know it would be very difficult now as making a change to habits are not always easy or making a change to a new law. There is a huge problem wit American prisons on not providing all the greatest effort of supplies and needs for the inmates to better themselves or to show they are meaningful human beings just making the wrong choice. Even the fact of showing care towards them is not seen much. I am sure there are a few CO's that do care but some that don't. That is when the anger and violence comes in play and CO's shower over ruling and power. Then you have the stereotype of inmates trying to be tougher then the other violence, and lastly rape! As you seen on the video Norwegians have their own living space, while here in America they have bunk beds or shared rooms. Overall we need to be more love and give equality to all humans no matter of what gender race,sex,age or criminal history.

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The problem with the current way we approach our prison system is embarrassing. We are one of the top countries in the nation. Serving our prisoners maggots and basically garbage is injustice. I believe we need to have a little more regards towards the life of each other like the Norwegians. I believe a solution to our prison system is definitely giving prisoners a sense of place, with education, freedom of speech and more teachable life lessons to take with them when returning back to normal society. I also believe better living conditions would have a tremendous effect on the system and the prisoners. If they had a more suitable way of living maybe most of the violence that has occurred in the prisons or outside of them, will change their mindset returning back to society in a better way. All in all it has to change because right now the system we have in America is completely broken. We constantly label prisoners as bad people who do bad things, but sometimes they don't know any other way. Or maybe they are mentally ill. We need stricter rules on being able to label felons, and what constitutes imprisonment.

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The main problem we have with the issue of crime is that we look towards throwing people into jail right away as a punishment, instead of seeking other ways, especially when the crime is very minor. We are looking at prison as the first form of punishment to crimes that can be fixed, or dealt without the next of prison use. Instead we are finding ways to put people into jail, including ex-offenders. Prisoners are dealing with unsafe environment in prison which includes getting brutally beat up by guards who label the prisoners as criminals, dangerous, wrong, corrupt, dirty etc. Guards are taking part in labeling the prisoners, and making them feel like they have nothing to look forward to after prison. Guards, and even other prisoners take a large part in this by physically, mentally, and emotionally beating up prisoners. Once some prisoners get released they have a high chance of getting back into jail, and being convicted of another, or the same crime. Some people label a criminal, as once a criminal, always a criminal. Criminal records are permanent, some cops tend to keep an eye out on those have already been convicted of a crime before to find a way to get them right back into prison.  This can cause people to not learn from their mistakes instead, they will learn to seek new ways of revenge, or new ways to create a crime without getting caught. I think we should bring out new ways of treating prisoners, avoiding the brutal beatings, and bringing better ways to approach people. In Norway as stated by the Norwegian guards, they simply just use words, and don’t even find any use in carrying a gun. With the money private prisons, and companies collect from prisoners, they should invest in activities that can help prisoners bring out their creativity such as; art classes, music classes, gym, library etc. These activities are used to help people prisoners in Norway, and can be useful in American prisons.