Problems that have led to the majority of Inmates into Prisons

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Social Problems and Policies Driving Incarceration
Introduction
The United States remains the leading country among developed democracies globally in terms of the prison population. Currently, the United States has approximately 2.3 million prisoners in its correctional facilities. Prisoners population in the country is believed to have surged after introducing the Rockefeller Drug Laws in the country, which suppressed judges' and juries' arbitration authority in directing drug addicts to alternative program treatment. Furthermore, several other policies have okayed punishing "survival" petty crimes by prison terms. The majority of the people who engage in such petty crimes are compelled due to various social problems they experience in their day-to-day lives. Parents play an important role in the development of their children. As a result, imprisonment of parents not only leads to child-parent separation, but also causes mental problems. However, children's previous attachment relations and life experiences are essential when comprehending children's reactions to parental imprisonment. Murray uses numerous theories and evidence to review the relationship between parental incarceration, attachment, and psychopathology in children.
This paper explores how social problems and specific policies have led to the incarceration of many prisoners, with the majority of them coming from vulnerable or marginalized backgrounds. It also gives a more clear insight into what the issue of incarceration essentially comprises of.
How Social Problems Drive Incarceration
Poverty, racial profiling, drug addiction, domestic violence, and gender inequalities are among several other problems that have led to the majority of inmates into prisons. The question that arises, however, is how these problems drive the incarcerations. Poverty and domestic violence, for instance, have led several young people to engage in unethical activities to fetch for their families. Emily Madison, for instance, in her story, illustrates how growing up in a split family forced her to take charge as a caregiver to her sister. The latter was less than two years younger than her after their parents had separated. As a result, she had to engage in prostitution which eventually made her murder as she was trying to defend herself from being raped by an elder man she had befriended (Alexander, 110). In addition, her poor upbringing also made her entangled in a relationship with a drug dealer whose gun led to her conviction (Alexander, 108).
Racial profiling is another form of a social problem that has influenced the incarceration of many individuals from marginalized communities. There seems to be a sort of some pattern whereby there is a higher incarceration rate of a certain race compared to another. For instance, studies have shown that an African-American teen is 21 times more likely to be killed or arrested than white kids (Vitale, 9). In addition, up to 90% of minor infraction cases in New York usually target people of color. This problem I believed to be a result of a stereotyped mindset that people of color are frequent offenders who should be treated harshly compared to other races (Vitale, 9). As a result, people of color...