Week 7_Christine Chau_A04

In this week's reading it revolved around prisons and the role of immigrants and privatization of prisons and how that can take a toll on prisoners. After reading the article The criminalization of immigration and the privatization of the immigration detention: implications for justice, it occurred to me that the stigma we have of how immigrants are all criminals was falsely made up by someone a long time ago. Then people with inadequate knowledge decided to bandwagon this stigma of immigrants being violent, or needed to be kept out because they are scared they will commit crimes, steal their jobs, or hurt citizens who live in this country. But if you actually think about it, not many immigrants make up the numbers for the violence that happens in this country. Most mass shootings are committed by someone who was born in this country. Most serial killers, kidnappers, rapists, are from this country. There are a select number of crimes committed by immigrants, but not enough for the whole population of immigrants to be classified as dangerous "aliens" who need to be imprisoned. Then comes private prisons which really plays a huge role on how prisoners can be treated. Because of the private funding from companies to keep these prisons opened, they are not obligated to follow all federal rules when it comes to specific funding in certain departments. They can put much more money into expanding their rooms and facilities to support more inmates, rather than using that money to better the healthcare services or other needs of the prisoners. The article also mentioned how after 9/11 happened, the amount of prisoners for immigrants shot up, and how the target of immigrants were larger. Then a question occurred to me, what if 9/11 was done by someone from America? Would the restrictions and aftermath be the same? Or would it be brushed off just like the shootings we have nowadays? I remember when mass shootings were such a huge and big deal. All news covering it no matter where you were, because it wasn't normal. We have come to a point where we are so used to the multiple mass shootings in America that we all say, "oh, another one?" I chose this image because it shows how money is always the biggest factor when it comes to private companies funding something.

References:

Ackerman, A. R. and Furman, R. (2013). The Criminalization of Immigration and the Privatization of the Immigration Detention: Implications for Justice

Why is the Private Prison Industry in Our Schools? (2012, November 20). Retrieved from http://www.occupy.com/article/why-private-prison-industry-our-schools#sthash.QCtBBoT1.dpbs