A Junior Theme

And here is a link to the "mini" Junior Theme from The Marshall Project, which deals with a subject we studied earlier, mass incarceration:

CONTEMPORARY ISSUE: In his State of the Union address...President Obama celebrated the fact 'that for the first time in 40 years, the crime rate and the incarceration rate have come down together.'"

WHY QUESTION: Why does the USA incarcerate such a high percentage of its population, despite falling crime rates?

ANSWERS:

  1. Crime surged during an era of social upheaval (historical look-back)
  2. The federal government got more involved in local law enforcement.
  3. A War on Drugs was launched.
  4. Politicians changed sentencing laws.
  5. More?? Others?