Impact of the Criminal Justice System on Economically Marginalized Youth
Young men from economically marginalized neighborhoods cannot think of conviction of a crime without the thought of jail. Crossing paths with the criminal justice system can alter one’s life by limiting opportunities that come with having no criminal record. One such opportunity is employment cost. Though it is rare for an employer to fire one based on religion or race, an employer can fire an employee who has to go to court for criminal charges. Missing work because one is arrested or questioned about involvement in a crime can cost one's job. Also, finding a new job after one is convicted of a crime is not easy. Applying and finding new jobs require involves some form of background checks on the applicant and those found to have been convicted with a felony have slim chances of securing employment (Goffman 340). Being on the police’s watch list can inhibit one from accessing proper medical care. Goffman (347) notes that federal police make random checks at the hospitals to probe incidents of shooting and to interrogate potential witnesses seeking medical attention. Police then arrest those deemed to violate parole or those with arrest warrants. Felony has resulted in many abandoned children in society. This is due to family breakdown or long time imprisonment.
The Link Between Unemployment and Crime
A myriad of responsibilities with no job at hand is likely to fuel crime. The need to pay rent, buy food and satisfy the requirements of one’s family is the reason why there should be jobs, especially for felons. Lack of it can push one to the limit until involved in property crime in a quest to eke a living; out of this more criminal activities are bound to rise. Youths who do not have access to better healthcare have a higher chance of abusing drugs; which is a breeding ground for delinquents leading to absenteeism from school. Disintegrated families also have a high probability of producing future delinquents; this is because parental neglect leads to hostility towards people in society. With this, the abandoned youngsters get involved with criminal activities in their neighborhoods.
The Cycle of Poverty and Crime
Poverty due to a high rate of imprisonment which targets mainly the youth is on the rise. Paying fines, bonds and bails as a result of arrest bring about social and economic distress to neglected youths as well as hardship in attaining better medical care. These factors influence the neglected individuals in the ghetto to engage in social ills such as drug use, theft, and robbery for sustenance. All in all, the authorities will continue fighting the criminals and thus create a vicious cycle in the society.
Work Cited
Goffman, Alice. "On The Run: Wanted Men In A Philadelphia Ghetto." American Sociological
Review, vol 74, no. 3, 2009, pp. 339-357. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/000312240907400301.
