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Essay Available:
Pages:
3 pages/β‰ˆ825 words
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2 Sources
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Social Sciences
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Total cost:
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Topic:

Economic status and social standing 301B

Essay Instructions:

I want to add 3 more page to the previous order. I will send you the material. I want two quotes from the attached article and one online quote.

 

ENGLISH 301B CRIMINAL INJUSTICE ESSAY #1 REVISION SPRING 2014 Pastrana
In an article in the Los Angeles Times on January 13, 2014 titled "Growing up in prison", Elizabeth Calvin discusses Edel Gonzalez, a 38 year old prison inmate from California who was "sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole" at age 16 for his role in a murder. Edel Gonzalez was with two adults when the three tried to steal a car. One of the adults shot and killed the driver whose car they were attempting to steal. Although Gonzalez did not do the shooting, he was convicted of murder for the role he played. A law which went into effect last year lets "judges review the cases of youths who were in effect sentenced to die in prison" (A13).
On the other hand, Ashley Hayes, in her online CNN article of 12/13/13 titled "'Affluenza': Is it real?", discusses the case of 16 year old Ethan Couch. Ethan Couch was driving with a blood alcohol level of "0.24, three times the legal limit for someone of legal drinking age" when he hit and killed four people in June, 2013. Couch's attorneys argued that his condition, which they termed "affluenza", "stemmed from having wealthy privileged parents who never set limits on him." The judge did not sentence Couch to jail time, but rather to 10 years' probation. Couch was to enter an alcohol treatment facility, also.
ASSIGNMENT:
By utilizing your timed writing, the readings by Hayes and Calvin, your own experience and observations, write a focused and well-developed essay in which you:
•    First explain to what extent a person's economic status can influence their jail/prison sentence. Be sure to discuss the Gonzalez and Couch cases.
•    Then, discuss whether a minor should ever be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION:
•    A well-constructed thesis that is clear and purposeful
•    Coherent topic sentences in each paragraph that clearly support the thesis
•    Focused and organized essay structure (thesis, topic sentences, etc.)
•    Unified and well-developed paragraphs throughout
•    Specific and detailed support and evidence for your arguments
•    Relevant support from the Hayes and/or Calvin articles. Two quotes or paraphrases from one or both articles. MLA format
•    Thorough and logical analysis of your ideas
•    Sentence variety and appropriate diction (NO contractions)
•    Clear sentences edited for grammar, language, and sentence structure problems
Paper Format:
All out-of-class essays must be formatted according to MLA style. Always provide 1" margins at the top, bottom, and sides, and use a 12-point font such as Arial or Times New Roman. Don't forget to add page numbers and your last name.
Grading:
All out-of-class essays will receive a letter grade, using the rubric on Beachboard. Due Date and Specifications:
The rough draft is due 2/17 for peer evaluations. Please bring a hard copy of your essay to class.
The final draft is due 2/19. The required length for the revision is 5 FULL pages (not including Works Cited page). Bring a hard copy to class and submit your essay electronically to Dropbox before class 2/19.

Essay Sample Content Preview:
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Economic status and social standing does affect the incarceration rates of young people in the U.S. Theoretically, judges and magistrates ought to be free and fair in making judgments, but the reality is that bias does occur in a jury. Poor people are more likely to receive harsher treatment that their rich counterpart for the similar crimes committed. People from pooper areas typically live in areas where there are higher rates of poverty, and there is a breakdown in social institutions. Crime in these places is more frequent and this creates the notion that young offenders from this are unlikely to be rehabilitated. The racial dimension is also apparent in cases as ethnic minorities have larger percentages in lower social strata of the society. Couch an upper middle class killed people through drunk driving but used the affluenza defense to escape harsh treatment (Hayes, 2014). On the other hand, Gonzalez was involved in the fatal shooting of a woman in robbery incident gone wrong, and although he was not the one who shot at the woman he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Couch is Caucasian and Gonzalez was of Hispanic extraction, and although both were involved in the death of two innocent people, it is Gonzalez who received harsher treatment. Power and money are intertwined to the extent that the more one has money the more they have power to influence and get favorable sentences.
Jurors also make decisions based on their assumptions and characteristics of the accused, and based on predetermined attitudes. Essentially, the economic status of people determines how the justice systems view the accused on the prisms of social status. The economic status of a person is one of the stereotypes that determine judgments, especially because the their jobs or occupation of their parents and place of residence can easily indicate there social status. In essence, the accused may have committed similar crimes but the attitudes of the jury introduce bias in the justice system where persons from higher socio status receive lenient sentences than their counterparts. The jury views young people from poor neighborhoods as being inclined to commit crime, and to reduce the risk of them committing other crimes they receive harsher treatments. On the other hand, young affluent offenders are merely seen as having committed crime on rare occasions, not being habitual criminals and hence seen as having moral values. Stereotypes typically influence they way people judge others and the justice system also does not dispel justice without fear and favor. Social class creates stereotypes, where judges and magistrates are more likely to give lighter sentences for the rich because of stereotypes. Since the affluent have more money they appear to be better at obeying laws than their poorer counterparts, and hence convictions are clouded by the social status of accused persons. This also extends to the negotiation a...
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