Politics has influenced the US criminal justice system in many ways. As we see now, during the presidential debates, the candidates express their opinions on different controversial issues, such as immigration, death penalty, privatization of prisons, marijuana legalization, and government assistance to the poor. These issues divide political parties and, what is especially important, divide the nation. It is not just about, what should be legal and illegal; it is about morality and interpretations of ethical behavior. As politicians express their attitudes toward these issues, they take one or another side. As a consequence, they are or, more likely, are supposed to be elected into Congress or White House, on the basis of the preferences of the electorate. After all, politicians are representatives of the nation; they plan and implement those policies that are expected to be supported by the majority, by public opinion. Unfortunately, public opinion often can be and is manipulated by various factors: disinformation, information asymmetry, and very effectively, by emotions, specifically, fear and anger.
Why do we arrest immigrants, take them to detention prisons and deport? Because we are afraid they will “steal” our jobs. The reality is that immigrants take the jobs that Americans are reluctant to do for the miserable wage. Immigrants, desperate, without any rights that American citizens fully enjoy, take these jobs to feed their families back in their impoverished countries. Few Americans oppose immigration on the moral ground; few see it as an exploitation of labor. The majority is manipulated by politicians, by media to see immigrants as a threat to their well-being, to the future careers of their children. We seem to be unaware of the fact that immigrants’ cheap labor lowers the costs of production and makes products and services more affordable to the average American. Meanwhile, the privatized detention centers make profits by detaining more and more immigrants and abuse their human rights.
Politics and political ideology also influence how one thinks about crime and punishment. I do not think ideological preferences are of binary category: conservative or liberal. Instead, it is a specter and our perspectives define our place on this specter. If one thinks that a wrongdoer commits a crime, fully aware of consequences and is the only one, responsible of this crime and should be harshly punished, this viewpoint demonstrates a conservative approach. On the contrary, a liberal would emphasize a social context of the crime, study surroundings and social conditions of a wrongdoer. While conservatives punish a criminal, liberals try to “correct” them. Ones believe that severe punishment would deter crime, others consider that rehabilitation and “re-entry” is feasible. These beliefs that politicians hold, influence the policies they plan and support. However, both approaches fail at some point, because they are built on the assumptions and beliefs, instead of evidence and scientific approach.
Why are we disgusted by the poor and homeless, considering them to be parasites on the healthy body of the American nation? Because we are fed by politicians with the myths about huge sums that our government spends on assistance programs. According to the Tax Foundation, the average taxpayer spends about $870 to subsidize corporations, while food stamps cost him/her only $36. It seems that big businesses are those who should be labeled “parasites” not the impoverished. Here again, the standpoint regarding poverty and help to the poor is affected by political ideologies. Conservatives want to reduce welfare programs and stigmatize the poor as lazy free-riders. They see assistance to the needy as a burden on the government budget. Liberals argue that the existing economic system has created social and economic inequalities and the government is obliged to mitigate these adverse effects by supporting the poor.
In conclusion, policies regarding immigrants, criminals, and the poor are heavily influenced by the political ideologies and standpoints of politicians. However, the criminal justice system is not static and can be changed to achieve justice for all.
Works cited:
Detention Centers for Immigrants and the Mentally Ill (pdf).
Politics and Crime (pdf).
The Criminalization of Poverty (pdf).
