SOCI 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: High School Dropouts, Penology, Social Inequality

• School: University of Georgia
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCI 1101
• Professor: Mark Cooney

Document Summary

Beyond crime and punishment: prisons and inequality: (western and pettit) High imprisonment rates among disadvantaged men and poor economic prospects for ex-inmates- the penal system affects inequality in the american society. Taking prisoners into account substantially alters our understanding of how young black men are faring. Penal system fuels inequality by reducing the wages and employments prospects of released prisoners. The low-wage, unstable employment they experience when they return to society deepens the divisions of race and class. (cid:1005)97(cid:1004)"s stricter law enforcement enlarged the prison population. Incarceration conceals inequality: a simple measure of inequality is the ratio of white to black employment rates. The price of safety: this expansion of imprisonment represents more massive intrusion of government into the lives of the poor than any employment or welfare program, there is a strong link between criminal behavior and economic disadvantage.