This assignment focuses on readings and discussions about labeling theory, the current “drug problem” in the U.S., the meaning of “defund the police,” and the concept of prisons being obsolete.

1.
According to Becker, how do label’s affect our view of substances? What
does Becker say about the current “drug problem” in the U.S.?
2. What is meant by the terms ‘prison reform’ and ‘defund the police’?
3.
What alternatives to either the current corrections system or current
policing practices would you suggest for positive change?
What Does “Defund The Police” Mean?
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From the Bookings Institute, we have this article discussing what “Defund the Police” means: —> https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/06/19/what-does-defund-the-police-mean-and-does-it-have-merit/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CDefund%20the%20police%E2%80%9D%20means%20reallocating,That’s%20it.&text=And%2C%20even%20some%20who%20say,away%20with%20law%20enforcement%20altogether
Links to an external site..
Here’s an interview with Amy Goodman and Angela Davis on Democracy Now! regarding defunding the police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_NzttRP9ULinks to an external site..
Here’s an interview with Amy Goodman and Angela Davis on Democracy Now! regarding defunding the police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_NzttRP9U
Links to an external site.Drugs: What Are They?
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Howard Becker is the most widely cited sociologist in the field of deviance and criminology. In 1963 he published, Outsiders: Studies of Deviance, a best-seller and template for Labeling Theory in the Sociology of Deviance.
Labeling theory argues that deviance is created by labels, not by the actions themselves. Labeling theory also explains that people who are in positions of power are those with the power to label. Those labels create
deviance and impact the identity and treatment of those being labeled.
Becker and n his classic, “Outsiders” explains how the label “criminal”
or “deviant” is applied depending on who is doing the crime. Consider
the following: Most Americans are concerned about street crime much.
more than white collar crime; yet. white collar crime costs society
exponentially more than all street crime combined. Likewise, those
involved in expensive crimes that have an impact on society, usually go
unpunished the same was a pot smoker or someone who holds up a liquor
store might be. As you read the article, consider how Becker argues that substances are just things; and just like activities, are not good or bad, unless
someone in power labels them as such. He bases his narrative on research
and myths regarding marijuana that he has been conducting for 60 years.
Here is his article, based on Labeling Theory, that discusses how definitions matter!
You can find “Drugs: What Are They” here —> Becker-2001-Drugs-WhatAreThey.pdf
Download Becker-2001-Drugs-WhatAreThey.pdf
Are Prisons Obsolete?
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Michelle Alexander’s New York Time’s Best Seller “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” addresses the failure of a prison system that has disproportionately targeted poor communities of color.
Check out Chapter 1 here: —–> The_New_Jim_Crow-1.pdfDownload The_New_Jim_Crow-1.pdf
Angela Davis, Emeritus Professor of UC Santa Cruz wrote her epic title, “Are Prison’s Obsolete.”
You
can find the first chapter of her book here: —–> Angela-Davis-Are_Prisons_Obsolete-1.pdfDownload Angela-Davis-Are_Prisons_Obsolete-1.pdf
The Sentencing Project has this brief that will also help your understanding of the big picture!
You
can access that brief here: —-> U.S.-Prison-Decline-Insufficient-to-Undo-Mass-Incarceration.pdfDownload U.S.-Prison-Decline-Insufficient-to-Undo-Mass-Incarceration.pdf