To What Extent Does the Current Use of Imprisonment as Crime Control Research Paper

To What Extent Does the Current Use of Imprisonment as Crime Control Reinforce Existing Inequalities and Segregation in the UK and the USA - Research Paper Example Traditionally imprisonment has been used – along with other crime prevention/ punishment measures - in order to control crime within a specific region. However, the terms under which the specific policy has been applied around the world have not been quite clear up to now. In any case, mass imprisonment has been found to be related to specific social ‘characteristics, like the unemployment, gender, and race. On the other hand, despite the fact that a series of measures have been taken by the British and the USA government regarding the improvement of the terms of mass imprisonment, still, the specific measure enforces inequalities among the population. It could be stated that the terms of mass imprisonment that are currently applied present many similarities with the ones used in the past. In accordance with Hallett (2002) ‘due to late 20th-century imprisonment policies, a renewed understanding of prisoners as commodities has emerged; the historical pattern of raci ally distinct commerce in imprisoned human beings, most of whom are poor, non-violent, minority offenders, has returned’ (Hallett, 2002, 369). The terms of mass imprisonment applied today would be improved so that inequalities are no longer enforced; but this target is a challenging task – especially if taking into account the resources (employees, funds, and technology) required. The development of technology in the developed countries around the world – including the USA and the UK – has not necessarily led to the improvement of the terms of justice or the limitation of inequalities in the society. The above fact is clear through the studies and the findings presented below.Current use of imprisonment as crime control and reinforcing of existing inequalities and segregation in the UK and the USA