4 ms·

In addition to the above great ideas, here are some stats for you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really

by Mz 9y ago

In addition to the above great ideas, here are some stats for you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really-have-five-percent-of-worlds-population-and-one-quarter-of-the-worlds-prisoners/?utm_term=.1335c5e4202b https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/... The US has about 4.4 percent of the global population and about 22 percent of the global prison population. The numbers are more startling using a different measure in the report: the prison population rate. Criminologists say this is a reliable way to compare incarceration practices between countries. The United States had the highest prison population rate in the world, at 716 per 100,000 people. More than half of the countries and territories had rates below 150 per 100,000. The United States had a much higher rate compared to other developed countries: about six times Canada’s rate, between six to nine times Western European countries, and between two to 10 times Northern European countries. So, I will suggest you work hard to frame it as "Many American citizens have a criminal record for the crime of being an American citizen. The system is broken and many people with criminal records really don't deserve to have them at all." In other words, don't tell them "give a criminal a second chance." Tell them that many people with criminal records simply shouldn't have them and you are making a terrible mistake to hold that against them, both in practical terms by cutting out talent from the hiring pool for specious reasons, and in moral terms because you are denying someone an opportunity to recover from having been shafted by a broken system to begin with. FYI: I'm a copywriter by trade.

will_brown 9y ago
>In other words, don't tell them "give a criminal a second chance." Tell them that many people with criminal records simply shouldn't have them... That's a very interesting approach, but I believe a hard sell to potential employer. As true as it may be, an employer is more likely to appreciate the individual who says this is my background, this is what I learned and this is my vision of my own future...rather than, it's not my fault, I'm a societal statistic. In fact, despite the ideas of US prison overcrowding and for profit drive conviction rates...I'd argue the opposite, that it's very likely the employer has already hired individuals who have committed various "crimes" and could but simply don't have records. I know it's stance but all you need to do it look at the number of reported crimes (serious, not victimless like many would argue about drug possession) and the total prison population. Example: prison population = ~ 2.2M inmates Every year in the US 60,000 children are sexually abused; ~220,000 adults sexually abused or raped; ~19,000 military members experience unwanted sexual contact. [1] US prisons only seem over crowded until you see the number of violent crimes in the country, it basically works out to a sexual assault/rape every 90 seconds, it's pretty disturbing. [1] https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem
- chris_wot 9y ago
  Not everyone in prison is there because of violent crime.
  - dmoy 9y ago
    Even stronger - the majority of people in prison are not there because of violent crime.
    - jopsen 9y ago
      Be careful about making the incarceration debate a non-violent offender issue. The issue is more complicated: plea bargains, additive sentencing, predatory prosecution, lack of public defense, and many issues.. You Americans have a lot of things to fix, there is no simple solution.
    - openasocket 9y ago
      I don't think that's true: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/26/16008508/mass-incarceration-time-served-urban https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/26/16008508/m... contains the statistic that 52.9% of state prisoners in the US are in there for a violent crime
- Mz 9y ago
  Suggesting that the website frame it that way in no way suggests individuals should frame it that way. How an individual frames it should be highly context dependent. As long as they aren't an ongoing threat to anyone, they deserve a job. In fact, having a job will make most of them less of a threat to society. "I need my job" is an excellent reason to behave. "The system has fucked me and it makes no difference what I do, I remain fucked" is an excellent reason to quit bothering to try.
- webninja 9y ago
  You can become a registered sex offender in many states after a public urination citation. In my home state, you can get a DUI as a 100% sober driver if your alcoholic girlfriend or passenger brought an opened container of alcohol. It's possible that the violent crimes are overly broad as well and include things like "mean looks".
usegolang 9y ago
Prison population per 100k isn't the same as criminal record per 100k. It could be that other countries enforce laws differently. Eg if the US has longer sentences on average and let's fewer people out on parole or out early then their prison population will be much higher even if the crime rates are identical.
test6554 9y ago
"Many American citizens have a criminal record for the crime of being an American citizen." It's better to have the tone of people owning up to their actions and then moving forward rather than saying the US is just giving out criminal records like candy and it's not anybody's fault.

by Mz 9y ago

will_brown 9y ago

>In other words, don't tell them "give a criminal a second chance." Tell them that many people with criminal records simply shouldn't have them... That's a very interesting approach, but I believe a hard sell to potential employer. As true as it may be, an employer is more likely to appreciate the individual who says this is my background, this is what I learned and this is my vision of my own future...rather than, it's not my fault, I'm a societal statistic. In fact, despite the ideas of US prison overcrowding and for profit drive conviction rates...I'd argue the opposite, that it's very likely the employer has already hired individuals who have committed various "crimes" and could but simply don't have records. I know it's stance but all you need to do it look at the number of reported crimes (serious, not victimless like many would argue about drug possession) and the total prison population. Example: prison population = ~ 2.2M inmates Every year in the US 60,000 children are sexually abused; ~220,000 adults sexually abused or raped; ~19,000 military members experience unwanted sexual contact. [1] US prisons only seem over crowded until you see the number of violent crimes in the country, it basically works out to a sexual assault/rape every 90 seconds, it's pretty disturbing. [1] https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem

chris_wot 9y ago
Not everyone in prison is there because of violent crime.
- dmoy 9y ago
  Even stronger - the majority of people in prison are not there because of violent crime.
  - jopsen 9y ago
    Be careful about making the incarceration debate a non-violent offender issue. The issue is more complicated: plea bargains, additive sentencing, predatory prosecution, lack of public defense, and many issues.. You Americans have a lot of things to fix, there is no simple solution.
  - openasocket 9y ago
    I don't think that's true: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/26/16008508/mass-incarceration-time-served-urban https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/26/16008508/m... contains the statistic that 52.9% of state prisoners in the US are in there for a violent crime
Mz 9y ago
Suggesting that the website frame it that way in no way suggests individuals should frame it that way. How an individual frames it should be highly context dependent. As long as they aren't an ongoing threat to anyone, they deserve a job. In fact, having a job will make most of them less of a threat to society. "I need my job" is an excellent reason to behave. "The system has fucked me and it makes no difference what I do, I remain fucked" is an excellent reason to quit bothering to try.
webninja 9y ago
You can become a registered sex offender in many states after a public urination citation. In my home state, you can get a DUI as a 100% sober driver if your alcoholic girlfriend or passenger brought an opened container of alcohol. It's possible that the violent crimes are overly broad as well and include things like "mean looks".

usegolang 9y ago

Prison population per 100k isn't the same as criminal record per 100k. It could be that other countries enforce laws differently. Eg if the US has longer sentences on average and let's fewer people out on parole or out early then their prison population will be much higher even if the crime rates are identical.

test6554 9y ago

"Many American citizens have a criminal record for the crime of being an American citizen." It's better to have the tone of people owning up to their actions and then moving forward rather than saying the US is just giving out criminal records like candy and it's not anybody's fault.