Critical Thinking
Assignment 1
In this passage, the writer has written about the differences that exist in the American society especially between the poor and the rich. The writer has indicated that poverty has led to many crimes in the United States. In addition, the highest number of people in the prisons belongs to the poor and the middle classes and they do this in an attempt to make ends meet. On the other hand, the rich are caught in crimes while attempting to increase their opportunities and therefore the status quo is maintained (Lispi, 2010). Therefore, the rich are led by their greed to increase their wealth at the expense of the other people. The trend has been increasing over time because as the rich continually increase their opportunities, the poor are continually deteriorating. This has made the poor people to reside in the slums in the United States.
However, it is evident that this inequality has been promoted by the US government’s policies that have favored the rich at the expense of the poor. Such policies include the reduction of the welfare to the poor and the consequent reduction of taxes that are paid by the rich. Though this is seen as a way of encouraging people to work, it favors the rich while the poor families are left to languish in poverty. Poverty has been caused by the increased unemployment among the people in the low income earning families. In addition, it is evident that the families that are affected by poverty are mostly the families that are headed by women (Lispi, 2010). The income per capital for such families is very low as compared to the families that are headed by men.
It is also evident that poverty in America has resulted from the system that is employed, which is capitalism. This has encouraged inequality and therefore there is increased gap between the rich and the poor. The most affected are the children especially of black and Latino origin. This has been because of the increased racism and therefore the government is not concerned with the minority in the US. In addition, there has been increased crime in the U.S. because of the increased exposure of children to guns. This has increased the rate of deaths that are caused by gunshots especially in instances of robbery. Therefore, such people end up in jails, which in most cases breed criminals instead of instilling discipline and values in them. The increase in crime among the people that end up in jails is prompted by the activities that happen within the confines of the jails. There is exposure of people to activities such as sex and use of drugs and therefore this makes the situation even worse. When the imprisoned people are exposed to such activities, they mostly end up being detained again because of the crimes they perform after the release. In conclusion, it is evident that the government has failed in its part to protect the citizens and ensure that there is equality in terms of distribution of resources. This is the reason behind the increase of crime.
Assignment 2
The writer has written about the effects that prisons have on the citizens of the United States of America. In addition, it is evident from his writings that drugs are the main causes of increased crime in the society. Drugs make people to engage in criminal activities such as robbery, which makes them end up in prisons. It is also evident that America has the highest number of prisoners among the industrialized countries. The inmates are made to suffer in the prisons for long durations of time while they consume resources at the expense of other projects that would improve the economy (Lispi, 2010). In addition, they are sometimes denied the chance to improve their skills and therefore they hardly add any value to the society when they are released. This is a retrogressive move because the prisons should be used to convert the prisoners and make them useful in the society when they are released. When they go through such instances, they end up being sent back to prisons when they are released because they lack the skills that would help them secure any employment. Therefore, it is evident that the government policy on the prison has not quite worked well because convicts show little difference when they are released from prisons.
It is also evident that some conditions in the cells have contributed to the criminal activities in the society. Some prisoners have access to drugs while in prison and therefore it is hard for them to reform. Therefore, prison wardens are also not good people because they supply the prisoners with the drugs. As the writer has put it, the conditions of the prisons have made the situation worse instead of trying to find a solution to the problem. Prisons in the US have proved to be avenues that are used by criminals to increase their activities. They do this through gangs that are formed in prisons to help the convicts to perpetuate their criminal activities instead of being transformed.
It is also evident that there are many corrupt deals carried out in the prisons. For example, we observe that the prison officers are sometimes engaged in providing false evidence against the convicts. In addition, they participate in the killing of some of the inmates while they are supposed to protect them and ensure that they adhere to the laws of the land (Lispi, 2010). Therefore, this can be blamed on the government because it does not have a defined structure to help in the transformation of the inmates. The high number of inmates is hard to control and hence they end up forming gangs. In addition, it has been observed that prisons have been used in the spread of racism and biasness against some people. The writer also states that they were divided according to their race while in the prison. The black people were kept together while the white people were kept in the same cell. Therefore, instead of transforming the inmates, evil thoughts are instilled in them and this makes them to continue with their criminal activities. Therefore, little change is experienced when they are released. In conclusion, this can be blamed on the government because it should initiate structures that will convert convicts into good citizens.
References:
Lispi, M. (2010). English 5: Critical Thinking. Sandy Springs: Spring.