As we settle into the twenty-first century, the United States has the
highest incarceration rate in the world. Although the fear of "terrorism"
has significantly weighted US laws in the police's favor, the primary
reasons for the high incarceration rate remain the war on drug users and a
change in penological philosophy from one of rehabilitation (or even
punishment) to one of banishment. It is this philosophy that lies behind
the so-called "three-strikes and you're out" laws and initiatives like
Oregon's Measure 11 that established mandatory minimums for certain crimes.
There is no attempt involved in these endeavors to seek justice, only a
desire for revenge and a pretense that these prisoners are less than human
and therefore deserve only a life behind bars or, in some cases, death by
the state. Prisons as Strategic Hamlets Underlying the current philosophy of imprisonment is the control of demographic groups considered surplus by the corporate world order. This means, among other things, a move away from interest in the individual offender and a shift of focus to what many penologists call "control of aggregates". These aggregates, or groups, are primarily composed of young men of color, although the number of women from these same groups continues to grow. In the wake of industrial job flight from their neighborhoods, these groups' presence outside of prison has become increasingly threatening to the ruling structures. As members of these groups turn toward other endeavors to make a living--endeavors often illegal such as drug dealing--the punishment for their actions has become increasingly harsher. In addition, new laws enacted to either enhance current legislation or to make even more actions illegal encourage police to concentrate their enforcement efforts on these groups. This trend is not worldwide, however |