Criminalizing Poverty

POOR PEOPLE are targeted by law enforcement and fast-tracked towards incarceration....

They CAN'T AFFORD LAWYERS
They get TARGETED in their NEIGHBORHOODS
They CAN'T REBOUND from FINES
They CAN'T POST BAIL
The incarcerated poor are often MINORITIES
They are OFTEN MENTALLY ILL and UNINSURED
When they get out, they are FOREVER ENTANGLED in the SYSTEM

Below I have outlined the highlights from:

October 13, 2009: “Criminalizing” Poverty, By Tracy Velázquez, Executive Director, Justice Policy Institute

http://spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=5f13e0fe-a47d-4ce4-a945-187fc331e81d

How Public Policies Result in the Over-Incarceration of Low-Income Communities in America

NEIGHBORHOODS:
"America over-polices the poor. It makes sense that places with more crime would have a stronger police presence than communities with less. However, more policing in low-income areas results in more arrests and incarceration for offenses that would likely be handled informally or not at all in another neighborhood. "

RACE
"...component of over-policing is race... between January 2006 and September 2007, “random” frisks by New York City police included 453,042 blacks and only 94,530 whites. However, with race and income so closely intertwined, it is often difficult to separate the two. And the result is still that low-income individuals are more often the target of police attention, which means more are arrested and move deeper into the criminal justice system."

REPRESENTATION
".. However, individuals of lower income generally don’t choose their lawyer; one is assigned by the court. Or one should be, anyway; unfortunately, over one in four people in jail charged with misdemeanor offenses reported not having been represented by counsel. ..many work in conditions they describe as “assembly line justice.” ... many public defenders have barely met their client before they have to go into court and defend them... People who can afford a private attorney are less likely to go to state prison. "

BAIL
".. generally the same people who can’t afford to post bond. .. Currently, more than 60 percent of people in jails across the country have not been convicted of any offense. The inability to post bond not only makes it harder for people accused of crimes to meet with their lawyer and talk to people who might be able to aid in their defense, it also makes it harder to hold down their job and maintain custody of their children—even though they are still considered innocent. "

MENTAL ILLNESS
"Adult and juvenile correctional facilities are now among the country’s largest providers of mental health care...the Los Angeles County Jail is now the largest mental health facility in the country ...The manifestations of untreated mental illness often lead to behaviors that draw the attention of police—public order offenses that often accompany homelessness, crises that cause law enforcement to intervene, and “self-medicating” with alcohol and illegal drugs. "

RELEASE
"Currently, one in 31 people in the United States is under correctional supervision—whether in prison or jail, or on parole or probation. And millions more have a felony record that will never be erased, creating hardships for those trying to regain their lives and be a productive member of their community. ...people leaving prison...vulnerable to homelessness, often banned from federal housing... and lack the funds to afford available housing. Often, the obligations of parole fees and years of child support that went unpaid during their period of incarceration make it almost impossible to become economically successful.

"Policymakers continue to incarcerate millions of people, most of whom would not be in the system if there were more adequate resources in their communities. How can this situation be addressed, so that poverty and prison aren’t inevitably intertwined?"