OPINION: Democrats Discuss — U.S. ideals of freedom and mass incarceration cannot coexist

Megan Gale is a sophomore studying special education. She is a member of the Ohio University College Democrats. The following article reflects the opinions and views of the author and does not represent the thoughts of the Ohio University College Democrats.

This is a submitted column. Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

The United States is often hailed as the land of the free — where owning a gun is a right, but housing, food and healthcare are privileges for a select few. Can a nation truly be free if all its citizens are not equal? 

Are Americans truly free?

The U.S. prides itself on freedom, but it has the highest rate of incarcerated individuals. It beats out both China and Russia in people incarcerated per capita. 

The prison system in the U.S. disproportionally affects people of color. Of people born in 2001, 1 in 3 Black men will spend their lives in prison, while only 1 in 17 white men will experience the same. Black people make up only about 13% of the population but account for a staggering 38.5% of the prison population. 

Is America truly free if so many citizens are incarcerated, especially Black citizens? 

The prison industrial complex (PIC), which is described by the website Critical Resistance as “the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems,” is partly responsible for the discrepancy between incarceration rates by race and the population. 

Some politicians may benefit when incarceration rates go up because they will be seen by the public as “tough on crime,” regardless of the fact that it is disproportionately ruining the lives of people of color. 

The argument for mass incarceration is that it should deter crimes. According to an evidence brief, however, by the Vera Institute of Justice, “Since 2000, however, the increased use of incarceration accounted for nearly zero percent of the overall reduction in crime.” This means that almost all of the decreased crime rates are a result of something else. 

Perhaps the steady increase of spending on social programs, such as welfare and education, could be the solution. 

A study done at New York University found that, “In a city of 100,000, each new nonprofit community organization leads to a 1.2% drop in the homicide rate, a 1% reduction in the violent crime rate, and a 0.7% reduction in the property crime rate.” This proves that mass incarceration is not the answer to lowering crime rates; the best way to decrease crime rates is to offer programs that better communities. 

The best way to make the U.S. fulfill its promise of freedom is to allow its people the right to social services such as healthcare and housing. An increase in spending on social programs is linked to lowering crimes and therefore lowering mass incarceration. 

Americans cannot truly be free if the nation leads the world in incarceration rates. The U.S. cannot truly be free until all citizens are treated equally, and the discrepancy between prison population and race is eliminated.