Introduction
The idea of crime has troubled many people for many years. The way various people define crime, variation of crime in different places, reasons why people participate in crimes, and other issues in crime have troubled scholars. The contemporary definition of crime is any act or conduct that is not allowed by law. Every country has its laws that guide the conduct of its citizens. For example, in most countries murder is defined as a crime and is prohibited. In a study of crimes, it is evident that crimes vary from one society to another and from one time to the other. This leads to a view of crime as a socials construction since it is given its definition by society. Just as in crime, institutions associated with crimes such as prisons can also be viewed as socials constructions. For a long time in United State, crimes have been associated with Blacks. In public prisons, there is a high presence of blacks. This invoked questions on crime definition and laws in the country.
Discussion
The history of the United State shows varying definitions of crime with time. At the same time, ideas on institutions associated with crimes have also changed with time. Composition prisons and punishment offered to different crimes over time is the best way to view changing perspectives of crimes over time (Richie 123). In history, crimes have been associated with race, ethnicity, gender, age, and poverty. Associated of Blacks could be motivated by historical slavery that led Blacks to be viewed as of lower value than other races. In society, the strong and the majority are responsible for defining laws. In such a case, the minority and the weak are forced to live with the rules set by the strong and the majority. Thus, Blacks were a minority in the society and were relatively weaker than the other parts of the community, the laws set defined their conduct as criminal.
Blacks in America have been oppressed by the socials and political systems in the country. The Socials system denied Blacks access to some services or privileges. For a long time, Blacks were not well represented in the political system of the country (Rosenblatt 48). Due to these injustices, many Blacks were involved in public protests. The majority in the society could not stand protests from Blacks and this led to the crimination of these protests. If the Blacks were involved in making laws, they would not have made laws that would lead them to be sent to prisons. The definition given to the crimes and the laws made against the crimes were unjustly made and were oppressive to Blacks.
The unjust economic system is one of the motivations that lead individuals to be involved in crimes. In the United States, economic resources are not well distributed among different ethnic communities and races. Since independence Blacks have been among the poorest in the country and have been associated with crimes. The criminalization of poverty has a long history; most times in history the poor were associated with crimes. For example, Britain’s Industrial Revolution led to the enrichment of some individuals while leading others to adverse poverty (Rosenblatt, 51). The people who led to poverty due to this revolution were associated with crimes. Almost all people convicted of crimes during this period were those among the poor. The ruling system went further to categorize poverty as a crime and made specials prisons to handle these poverty criminals. In America, poverty among Blacks leads them to be involved in activities that are defined as crimes. For example, due to lack of income, some Blacks involve themselves in drugs and burglary (Ritchie 78). The society which denies them the opportunity for employment and source of income then comes into defined laws that lead them into prison.
Prisons can be viewed as institutions that are used to punish people involved in crimes. In the United States, it is maintained that there are no prisons; instead, the Department of Corrections is responsible. Thus, according to the definition, prisons are viewed as correction facilities that aim at correcting those involved in crimes. In their creation, prisons were intended to render people docile so that they could be used for some other motives (Foucault 232). Later, they were used by law as a penalty for crimes. Today, prisons are viewed by society as a way of punishment and not as a corrective measure (Angela 96). Prisons are intended to punish those involved in crimes and deter people from crimes. This intention is not attained; instead, crimes and prisons have been used discriminatorily leading to the imprisonment of people from certain ethnicity and race.
Conclusions
Crime, criminality, and prison are socials construction. As a social construction, crimes do not represent what is wrong per see but what is considered to be wrong by the majority of the strong in the society. Prisons are intended to put away those individuals whose conduct is considered to be wrong from society. Definition of crimes and composition of prisons in the United States have been unfair to the Blacks. Society criminalizes conducts by the Blacks while ignoring social, economic, and political justices that lead them to such conduct.
Work cited
Rosenblatt Elihu. Criminal injustice: confronting the prison crisis: Sabina Virgo, “The Criminalization of Poverty. New York: South End Press, 1996.
Foucault Michel. Discipline & punish. New York: Vintage Books, 1995.
Richie Beth. Compelled to crime. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Angela Davis. The Prison Industrial Complex. Malden: Blackwell publisher, 2001.