Jensen 1

Maryn Jensen
Professor Kilpatrick
English 2010
02/28/2015
Mass Incarceration
In this paper I will explore various studies and articles on mass incarceration. I am
interested in this topic because I believe that every person deserves a chance at a happy and
fulfilling life, even if they have committed a crime. I believe that every person is fundamentally
capable of making responsible, mature, effective decisions if given the proper education and
sometimes treatment, and criminals are no different. Mass incarceration becomes problematic
because it takes away a felons life and gives no second chances. The United States has a far higher
prison population than most countries, reaching its peak in 2013 with 219,298 federal inmates.
The number has decreased slightly in the past year, dropping by 5,149 in 2014. With awareness
and reform, we can continue this trend. We should be searching for better alternatives to prison,
because mass incarceration perpetuates the crime problem and is overall ineffective. These
sources show some of the issues that this policy entails, as well as the statistics surrounding the
matter.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The
New Press. 6 Jan 2012. Print.
In her book, Michelle Alexander argues that the election of Barack Obama has not begun
an age of colorblindness; rather, it has reinvented racism and discrimination in the United States.
She discusses the biased manner in which crime and incarceration are handled, and states that the
policy of mass incarceration is just another method of discriminating against non-White
Americans. Ultimately, it is a call to action.
Alexander is a civil-rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar. She possesses extensive
background knowledge and experience in law, the justice system, and mass incarceration. Because
of the subject matter of this book, the target audience is most like Americans who care about social
and legal policy change, specifically those surrounding racism and mass incarceration. She employs
effective use of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, logos, and pathos. She creates ethos not only by
who she is and the experience she has, but also by citing other reliable sources. Logos is used in
presenting the facts and statistics of the matter. She also uses pathos, when invoking fear of the
future if there is no change, and talking about the unjust, unequal treatment of American citizens
based on the color of their skin. The combined use of these rhetorical appeals creates a powerful
argument.
This book is helpful to my research because it tackles one of the biggest problems with
mass incarceration: racism. It gives in-depth background of the issues leading up to this epidemic,
and discusses possible solutions. These are all important points when considering mass
incarceration. Ultimately, I learned that racism in our country that isnt dead yet, and that one of
the most common ways this discrimination is invoked is in mass incarceration.

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Day, Randal D. "The "G.I. Bill" Of The 21St Century: Mass Incarceration And How Crime Is
Paying." Applied Developmental Science; 249-253. 4 Nov 2007. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2015.
In this article, Randal Day expresses concern for the effects mass incarceration has,
primarily on the youth of America. Previously, he states, the government enforced more proactive,
preventative programs for youth, whereas the current attitude of the war on crime has produced
the anecdote of mass incarceration. Millions of dollars per year are wasted, he argues, on
incarcerating non-harmful young men and women who would better benefit from financial aid or
treatment of some type. He warns that this shift points to a destructive future for the United States.
This critique comes is an opinion piece from a scientific journal, which means it is
probably targeted at scholarly, academically well-versed Americans. The author is a professor who
has performed many studies in the field of adolescents, so he has the experience to write about the
youth of America. He also cites many sources in his research, which bolsters the credibility of the
article. One of the main drawbacks is the date of this piece; it was written near the end of 2007.
However, it still provides a valuable perspective, which may even serve to inform of the history
surrounding this complex issue. Day has an effective use of rhetoric, specifically in his appeals to
ethos, logos, and pathos. He bolsters his own credibility with many reliable sources, such as the
Department of Justice. He also provides many logical statements including statistics and numbers
to back up his argument. Perhaps his most effective rhetorical appeal was that of pathos, when
telling heart-wrenching personal stories, and drawing on the common value of concern for the
youth.
Days article is somewhat useful in my research in that it provides a historical background.
His emphasis on youth, though an important issue, is not necessarily the most important piece of
mass incarceration, so this source will not be a particularly large part of my research. However, he
does provide a great deal of evidence to support the idea that alternative programs are necessary to
solve this problem. This war on crime paradigm shift is toxic, according to him, and needs to end
in order to prevent financial and psychosocial damage.
Eckholm, Erik. In a Safer Age, U.S. Rethinks Its Tough on Crime System. The New York
Times. www.nytimes.com. 13 Jan 2015. Web. 26 Jan 2015.
In this article, Erik Eckholm discusses the changes in U.S. crime rates, and the push for a
reformed justice system. He cites many sources that describe a dramatic drop in crime since the
1990s, and state that the mass incarceration policy is no longer needed. The crime rates had
already began dropping when the mass incarceration policy was instated, Eckholm reports, and
some say it was never needed in the first place. He informs that many question the effectiveness of
incarceration, and that some are pushing for a newer system including early childhood prevention
and mental health treatment.
Eckholm has been a reporter and editor for The New York Times for years. This piece is
a news article; he reports statistics and opinions others have. Because this was published in NYT,
the audience is mostly informed Americans, possibly with more liberal views. The sources
presented in this article are credible; he cites senators, criminologists, and doctors and provides
national statistics. He also makes effective use of rhetorical appeals, particularly kairos, ethos, and

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logos. (There werent any strong pathos appeals, because it was a news article.) The piece was
published shortly after the controversial police brutality, and he uses that timing as a tool to draw
attention to the matter. He also uses many credible sources to add to his ethical draw. The
numerous facts provided bring it all together by appealing to logic.
This article is valuable to my research because it has a lot of factual evidence that can be
referenced. It also brings to light many proposals of what can be done to solve the problem.
Overall, this article has pointed out many drastic statistics that I was not aware of, and discusses
solutions I had not previously considered. It is important to understand the current crime rates and
the rising frustration surrounding the judicial response to it.
Rosenthal, Andrew et. al. End Mass Incarceration Now. The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com. 24 May 2014. Web. 27 Jan 2015.
In this article, Andrew Rosenthal and the Editorial Board of The New York Times argue
against the United States policy of mass incarceration, stating that it is harmful to society,
ineffective, and unjust. They declare that the current length and severity of imprisonment is not the
correct way to address crime, and give many alternative solutions to incarceration, including
childhood prevention programs and mental health treatment for criminals.
The authors of this piece have a great background to write on this subject, because the
entire Editorial Board includes many people with academic and positional qualifications who
specialize in several different fields. It was written in the Opinion section of The New York Times,
so it is an argumentative piece most likely targeted at the American public. Although it offers a
liberal standpoint, it is intended to attract Americans of all ideologies, because it uses common
values to identify problems and lead the audience to a logical solution. Its rhetorical appeals are
quite effective, relying mainly upon pathos, with some logos and ethos to further bolster their
opinion. They play on peoples emotions when pointing out the tragedies that occur after one is
released from prison. They also provide logos when stating national statistics. Finally, they use
ethos when citing credible sources such as the National Academy of Sciences. Because of their
research used to back their opinion and the effective rhetorical appeals, this source is valuable to
my research.
This source is a useful piece of my research, because it brings to light many postimprisonment issues that many people probably arent aware of. I learned that a felons life after
prison is almost impossible to live normally, and that in many cases, that is quite unfair. All in all,
this source has taught that the federal response to crime rates over the past 40 years has been
unjust and ineffective. The solutions provided are a much better alternative.
Wagner, Peter and Leah Sakala. Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie. Prison Policy Initiative.
www.prisonpolicy.org. 12 Mar 2014. Web. 24 Jan 2015.
Peter Wagner and Leah Sakala write this article primarily to present facts and statistics
surrounding mass incarceration in the United States. They have compiled various statistics on the
subject, and show a pie chart that describes where the prison population is distributed, and the
offenses of these convicts. They briefly discuss social and fiscal costs, and call for a change in the
justice system.

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The primary author, Wagner, is an attorney and the Executive Director of the Prison
Policy Initiative organization. He has worked in many movements against mass incarceration, and
has a comprehensive background in the field. The second author, Sakala, has written extensively
and performed various research studies on the topic. This piece was published on the Prison
Policy Initiative website, which is a credible, well-researched, and recognized page. This source is
purely a report of statistics, and the goal is to inform the general public of the United States.
However, the people who will really be reading this are Americans who care about changing the
mass incarceration policy. The guiding rhetorical appeal used is logos, because they present many
facts and statistics and explain these numbers. There is also an element of ethos, because they cite
many reliable organizations in their research. In their call to action, they employ pathos, trying to
cause fear of the current situation and motivating people to push for a change. Because of their
effective use of rhetoric and sources, this article is credible, informative, and persuasive.
This source will be very useful in my research, because it gives fairly current statistics and
in-depth background information about them. Most people arent aware of the vast numbers
surrounding incarceration, so this article is very eye-opening. Overall, Wagner and Sakalas article
is effective in presenting the statistics of mass incarceration and calling for a change.
These sources clearly show that mass incarceration is destructive to our country. The sheer
number of people who are imprisoned is shocking, as stated in the statistics presented by Wagner
and Sakala. Mass incarceration can be broken down into three main problems that are shown in
these sources. The first problem is the effects it has on youth, which Day points out in his piece.
The second is a felons quality of life after prison, as explained by Andrew Rosenthal and the NYT
Editorial Board. The last problem, and arguably the most damaging, is the racial bias inherent in
the system, which Michelle Alexander covers in her book. In my research, I will specifically
address these three problems in greater detail.