The Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies
The Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies (ARCJS) is a student-led, peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarly writings pertinent to the critical analyses of law, crime and justice systems and their entanglement with larger political economic processes. ARCJS contributors explore how ideas and systems of crime, law and justice shape broader issues of social justice, especially those related to the experience of race, class, gender, sexuality, and age inequality in the U.S. Ranging from the conception to the implementation to the transformation of law, crime and justice systems and ideas, ARCJS includes ethically reasoned critical analyses intent on contributing to the assessment of alternative solutions to problems associated with the identification, control and prevention of crime and delinquency.
The carceral experience presents many detrimental impacts on the wellbeing of people who are incarcerated. In a broken penal system in the United States, fine arts programming can be one of the more effective alternatives to punishment and can be implemented in the restructuring of this system. The primary aim of this review paper was to examine the impact creative art programming in correctional institutions had on the people who are incarcerated with a specific focus on the effectiveness of these programs on the people’s mental health, likelihood of being rehabilitated, and reducing their recidivism. This paper conducted a meta-analysis of nine published studies on the implementation of creative art programs in correctional institutions to evaluate and examine the effectiveness of these programs, and it relied on the framework of labeling and general strain theory. The findings of this paper revealed that the implementation of creative arts programming in correctional institutions was linked to the (1) fostering of social cohesion and rehabilitation in prisons, (2) positive effects on the emotional regulation and personal growth of the people who are incarcerated, and (3) the ability to reduce recidivism and promote education among the people who are incarcerated. Despite the positive findings, it is important to highlight the publication bias that exists in this subject and the lack of studies that report negative outcomes of these programs. This review paper identifies that future research should focus on exploring the perspectives of people who are incarcerated and highlighting their voices and stories. Negative outcomes should be reported and not neglected to determine the true effectiveness and longevity of these programs in the future restructuring of the penal system.
Copyright (c) 2025 The Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies
The‬‭ term‬‭ of‬‭ white-collar‬‭ crime‬‭ is‬‭ a‬‭ phrase‬‭ used‬‭ to‬‭ describe‬‭ crime‬‭ that‬‭ is‬ ‭ used‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ business‬‭ setting,‬‭ by‬‭ those‬‭ professionals.‬‭ The‬‭ term‬‭ “White‬‭ collar‬‭ crime” ‬ ‭ was‬‭ coined‬‭ by‬‭ Edwin‬‭ Sutherland,‬‭ and‬‭ by‬‭ his‬‭ description;‬‭ “a‬‭ crime‬‭ committed‬‭ by‬ ‭ a‬‭ person‬‭ of‬‭ respectability‬‭ and‬‭ high‬‭ social‬‭ status‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ course‬‭ of‬‭ their‬ ‭ occupation” .‬‭ These‬‭ people‬‭ abuse‬‭ their‬‭ power‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ workplace/business,‬‭ for‬ ‭ personal‬‭ profit,‬‭ or‬‭ just‬‭ to‬‭ mess‬‭ up‬‭ someone‬‭ else’s‬‭ situation.‬‭ There‬‭ are‬‭ many‬ ‭ times‬‭ of‬‭ white‬‭ collar‬‭ crime‬‭ that‬‭ can‬‭ contribute‬‭ to‬‭ the‬‭ criminogenic‬‭ environment‬ ‭ such‬‭ as;‬‭ wage‬‭ theft,‬‭ corruption,‬‭ market‬‭ manipulation,‬‭ environmental‬‭ crimes,‬‭ and‬ ‭ labor‬‭ exploitation.‬‭ A‬‭ criminogenic‬‭ environment‬‭ is‬‭ one‬‭ that‬‭ allows‬‭ for‬‭ these‬ ‭ criminals‬‭ to‬‭ commit‬‭ these‬‭ crimes‬‭ without‬‭ any‬‭ penalties.‬‭ These‬‭ environments‬ ‭ allow‬‭ these‬‭ “criminals” ‬‭ to‬‭ adapt‬‭ and‬‭ learn‬‭ new‬‭ methods‬‭ of‬‭ white‬‭ -collar‬‭ crime,‬ ‭ and‬‭ they‬‭ will‬‭ get‬‭ smarter‬‭ as‬‭ time‬‭ progresses.‬‭ The‬‭ industry‬‭ that‬‭ I‬‭ will‬‭ be‬‭ writing‬ ‭ about‬‭ that‬‭ produces‬‭ these‬‭ criminals‬‭ that‬‭ hurt‬‭ the‬‭ average‬‭ civilian‬‭ will‬‭ be‬‭ the‬ ‭ fashion‬‭ industry.‬‭ There‬‭ are‬‭ 2‬‭ major‬‭ instances‬‭ of‬‭ why‬‭ the‬‭ fashion‬‭ industry‬‭ is‬‭ a‬ ‭ perfect‬‭ example‬‭ of‬‭ a‬‭ criminogenic‬‭ environment‬‭ because‬‭ of‬‭ its‬‭ negative‬‭ impact‬ ‭ on the Earth, and its constant and excessive labor exploitation.‬ ‭
Teyvat’s Governance: A Reflection of the Real-World
A‬‭ nation‬‭ ruled‬‭ by‬‭ scholars‬‭ who‬‭ claim‬‭ to‬‭ seek‬‭ knowledge,‬‭ yet‬‭ suppress‬ ‭ those‬‭ who‬‭ challenge‬‭ their‬‭ authority.‬‭ A‬‭ city‬‭ where‬‭ justice‬‭ is‬‭ dictated‬‭ by‬‭ divine‬ ‭ decree,‬‭ leaving‬‭ no‬‭ room‬‭ for‬‭ doubt‬‭ or‬‭ appeal.‬‭ These‬‭ are‬‭ not‬‭ just‬‭ stories‬‭ from‬‭ a‬ ‭ fantasy‬‭ world—they‬‭ are‬‭ echoes‬‭ of‬‭ our‬‭ own‬‭ political‬‭ and‬‭ social‬‭ struggles.‬‭ In‬ ‭ September‬‭ of‬‭ 2020,‬‭ MiHoYo‬‭ Co.,‬‭ Ltd.‬‭ released‬‭ a‬‭ RPG‬‭ (short‬‭ for‬‭ role-playing‬ ‭ game)‬‭ that‬‭ shot‬‭ to‬‭ worldwide‬‭ fame‬‭ during‬‭ its‬‭ release.‬‭ Known‬‭ for‬‭ its‬‭ stunning‬ ‭ visual‬‭ and‬‭ extensive‬‭ open‬‭ world‬‭ feature,‬‭ it‬‭ quickly‬‭ solidified‬‭ its‬‭ place‬‭ within‬‭ the‬ ‭ anime,‬‭ comic,‬‭ and‬‭ gaming‬‭ communities‬‭ worldwide.‬‭ The‬‭ game‬‭ follows‬‭ twin‬ ‭ siblings‬‭ who‬‭ unfortunately‬‭ get‬‭ separated‬‭ at‬‭ the‬‭ beginning‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ game.‬‭ The‬ ‭ player‬‭ takes‬‭ on‬‭ the‬‭ role‬‭ of‬‭ one‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ twins,‬‭ known‬‭ as‬‭ the‬‭ Traveler,‬‭ and‬‭ embarks‬ ‭ on‬‭ a‬‭ journey‬‭ across‬‭ the‬‭ fantastical‬‭ land‬‭ of‬‭ Teyvat‬‭ to‬‭ reunite‬‭ with‬‭ their‬‭ lost‬ ‭ sibling.‬‭ While‬‭ traveling‬‭ throughout‬‭ Teyvat,‬‭ the‬‭ players‬‭ are‬‭ faced‬‭ with‬‭ different‬ ‭ unique‬‭ systems‬‭ of‬‭ governance‬‭ with‬‭ their‬‭ distinct‬‭ political,‬‭ cultural,‬‭ and‬ ‭ societal-world‬‭ themes.‬‭ These‬‭ systems‬‭ reflect‬‭ broader‬‭ issues‬‭ like‬ ‭ authoritarianism,‬‭ social‬‭ inequality,‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ ambiguous‬‭ morality‬‭ of‬‭ power,‬ ‭ weaving‬‭ complex‬‭ narratives‬‭ that‬‭ critically‬‭ examine‬‭ crime,‬‭ law,‬‭ and‬‭ justice.‬‭ In‬ ‭ this‬‭ paper,‬‭ I‬‭ will‬‭ be‬‭ analyzing‬‭ vigilantism‬‭ and‬‭ justice‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ game‬‭ through‬‭ the‬ ‭ lens‬‭ of‬‭ social‬‭ theory.‬‭ Through‬‭ analyzing‬‭ these‬‭ fictional‬‭ narratives,‬‭ I‬‭ will‬‭ aim‬‭ to‬ ‭ illustrate‬‭ how‬‭ they‬‭ mirror‬‭ and‬‭ critique‬‭ social‬‭ and‬‭ political‬‭ real-world‬‭ issues‬ ‭ surrounding‬‭ crime,‬‭ law,‬‭ corruption,‬‭ vigilantism,‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ complex‬‭ dynamics‬ ‭ surrounding power and governance.‬ ‭
Societal Perceptions of White vs. Black Perpetrators of Crime as Shown Through Media Representation
This paper uses content analysis research method to analyze the way media representation of Black vs White perpetrators can impact our understanding of the cases, crimes and individuals themselves. I analyzed language use, three documentaries and news footage in order to assess the manner in which Black vs White perpetrators cases are represented in the media. My documentary subjects included Ted Bundy, Wayne Williams and O.J. Simpson, the latter who was included in order to include the facets of race and social status in this media representation.
Letter from the Chair of SFSU's Department of Criminal Justice Studies
Welcome to the third volume of the Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies. ARCJS is a journal housed in the Department of Criminal Justice Studies (CJS) at San Francisco State University that is in frequent collaboration with scholars from other universities, such as the students at John Jay College of Criminal Justice published in this issue. The third volume of this journal not only demonstrates the talents and ideas of CJS students at San Francisco State University but is a practice of creating a collaborative community of scholars from a diverse set of institutions.
What is the value of undergraduate knowledge production? Academia has long been shaped by measurements of value that prioritize certain forms of knowledge and modes of inquiry over others. Institutional recognition, credentialism, peer-reviewed articles, impact factors, citation counts, and grant awards are the currencies by which intellectual labor is often valued. These conventions tend to exclude and underappreciate much-needed scholarship that unsettles the epistemological foundations upon which societal structures are built.
Dear Readers, It is with pleasure that we get to introduce to you this volume of The Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies (ARCJS), thank you for choosing to read the works of these talented undergraduate authors. This volume of ARCJS had two editors-in-chief. Haya Shahzad, who primarily worked with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Daniella Krynsky, who primarily worked with San Francisco State University. We want to take a moment to discuss with you about this journal and the significance it has for us. Firstly, Haya will take a moment to make acknowledgements and thanks, then Daniella.
Hundreds of school shooting massacres are the average yearly in the United States. That means hundreds of students, teachers, staff, parents, and whole communities that are physically and mentally harmed yearly. Yet, little to no legislation is made to protect these innocent lives from the firearms that aim at them. All because of our 2nd amendment. In this essay, we will first study the history of the 2nd amendment, we then will study different mass school shooting cases and how they present issues in the current laws. Afterwards we will look at the effects that mass school shootings cause. And lastly we will conclude with reviewing what we can do to cause change, not erase our 2nd amendment right, but how we can protect these children’s rights to life,liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Changes in gun laws are necessary for the safety of the future generations of the United States.
Every gunshot leaves behind pain and calls for change, showing the need to rethink how we view guns and safety. Many people believe owning a gun makes them safer, but research shows it often does the opposite. Homes with guns have more accidents, domestic violence, and suicides compared to homes without them. Over time, laws have tried to balance gun rights with public safety, but challenges remain. This paper looks at the link between gun ownership and safety, using history, data, and real-life events. The findings show that more guns don’t mean more safety—in fact, they often bring more harm. To protect families and communities, stricter gun rules and safer solutions are needed.
Public Opinion and Repression in Anti-war Student Protests from 1960-2024
Abstract: This paper aims to understand the relationship between public opinion, law enforcement reactions, and administrative and state repression from 1960 to 2024, focusing on the Vietnam War and Palestine student protests. The history of protests, public opinion and repression of each movement is covered. Content analysis and archival data are analyzed in order to better understand the public’s reaction to the pro-Palestine protests and its relationship to protest coverage. A survey is proposed in order to expand the data on this topic and deepen the analysis of this relationship. The geological patterns of dissent and repression are analyzed, along with theories of repression and criticality.
The Sexist Colonial Feminism of the Israeli Defense Narrative
Israel often presents itself as a beacon for women's rights in the Middle East. This analysis of Israeli social media activity suggest that this portrayal is incorrect. Female IDF soldiers are often serialized for propaganda purposes and male IDF soldiers often post pictures of themselves in the Gaza strip wearing dresses and lingerie of displaced or killed Palestinian women. Furthermore, Israels occupation and current genocide in Gaza made Israel the main reason for the dire situation of Palestinian women. Additionally, different fractions of the Palestinian resistance exhibit a vision of women with a stronger emphasis on the liberation of women than Israel does. This paper bears witness to the distortion of Israels view on women.
many of my close ones know i speak my truth by letting my words flo w. poetry is so dense, yet so gentle; so vivid and unveiling, yet so modest and fragile.
Time moves slowly, endlessly, a broken loop— Tick-tock, they say justice for all, But for who? And at what cost?
The United States cash bail is embedded with systemic inequalities, allowing for race and economic class to influence pretrial detention outcomes. The current bail process disproportionately impacts marginalized groups, with Black and Latinx individuals facing significantly higher bail amounts and harsher pretrial conditions due to judicial bias and systemic economic disparities. This paper underscores the consequences of a system that equates wealth over freedom while exploring the interconnected issues of pretrial detention, plea bargaining, and the financial exploitation inherent in the commercial bail system. Case studies from jurisdictions like Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Kentucky demonstrate the efficacy of reformed models of a bail system. By envisioning a system that prioritizes equity, public safety, and constitutional rights over profit, this paper highlights the need for a reformed bail system that dismantles discrimination and upholds the values of justice.
This article is an autobiographical account of the thirty days that I spent as a detainee at the Manhattan Detention Center (MDC). Given little to no information about the circumstances that warranted my arrest and detention, I began my own investigation into how the criminal justice system differs from its representations to the public and how it systemically fails certain communities. I observed that the environment in incarceration fosters the creation of a unique society. Using conversations with fellow detainees on their past and present confinement, I studied the makeshift societal structure within MDC. Focusing primarily on the housing unit, which was a barter system trade community, I was able to introduce minute system changes and observe their overall effect. The end result was a stronger interconnected community based on mutual respect and the elimination of marginalized status. Further study on the communities that arise in various incarceration environments could lead to better jail and prison conditions, more positive outcomes for detainees upon release, and a potentially a decrease in recidivism rates.
Why Solitary Confinement Must Be Abolished
Solitary confinement, a practice that isolates people who are incarcerated in small cells with minimal human contact, is widely used in the United States despite being criticized by human rights organizations. It was initially used for rehabilitation and now serves as a punitive measure, leading to severe mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and chronic pain. It also contributes to higher recidivism rates, contradicting its intended purpose of correction and rehabilitation. While some argue that it ensures safety and order, evidence suggests it is often misused and disproportionately affects marginalized communities. This paper examines the historical origins, harmful effects, and inefficacy of solitary confinement, along with the arguments against it. Finally, it explores humane alternatives that emphasize transparency, individualized care, and rehabilitation, advocating for systemic reform to replace solitary confinement with more effective and restorative practices.
The correctional tool of solitary confinement has been brought back into popular use in the recent decades, bringing into question the reason for why this tool is continuing to be used despite its controversial nature. While previous studies have brought into focus the dangers of this disciplinary measure, there has always been a strong focus on mental impacts caused by the prolonged periods of social isolation. Reexamination of all impacts brought upon by the punishment method can help to solidify why this tool should be eliminated from the criminal justice system entirely. While there are significantly more mental impacts caused by solitary confinement, studies have also found there to be an appearance of physical changes brought by the punishment ranging from weight fluctuation to worsening of preexisting conditions. Additionally, the pressures brought on through the intense sensory deprivation can lead to worsening anxiety, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, and cognitive deterioration. One case that best exemplifies this intense mental degradation is the Reykjavik Confessions, an Icelandic case where suspects were placed in solitary confinement for extremely long periods of time to get a confession, leading to the falsification of memories, exemplified through one of the suspects journals. The use of solitary confinement as a correctional tool can lead to negative experience as the guidelines for use of the punishment are not fully detailed, allowing for use of it to be misused and abused. Currently, there are no benefits that should justify the use of solitary confinement in modern times. The deterioration of physical health, the exacerbation of mental health, and the loose guidelines that allow for abuse of power places solitary confinement in a position where the correctional measure should no longer continue to function in modern day society.
How Does the Privatization of Prison Affect the Carceral State?
This research paper examines the relationship between corporations who rely upon the use of low-cost prison labor, the way prison labor is generated and used by these corporations, and the rise in the privatization of prisons as a means of unmasking the true benefactors of the current system of American mass incarceration: capitalist interests. By firstly taking an overview of the historical background and contemporary context of the current systems in place within the U.S. carceral state, specifically those systems which enable the corporate mining of prison labor, this paper provides the necessary lens from which the questions raised within its pages. Research findings are then presented, including illustrative figures, commentary regarding the conclusions reached by other researchers, and a few diagrams depicting the sheer scale of incarceration of Americans within private prison facilities. Above all other goals, this paper means to investigate the effects that the privatization of prisons has had on the lives of the U.S. prison population, as they are the ones who must live with these consequences every day. What is achieved by this paper is a thorough, unblinking examination of the way prison labor is at once forced upon the prison population and mined by corporations to inflate their bottom line, ultimately making a powerful comment on the nature of the relationship between corporations and the U.S. prison population; that is, a relationship which amounts to nothing more than modern day slavery.
Discussing the Difficulties Language Barriers Impose on Legal Proceedings
Thousands‬‭ of‬‭ people‬‭ are‬‭ criminally‬‭ and‬‭ civilly‬‭ tried‬‭ by‬‭ the‬‭ United‬ ‭ States‬‭ government‬‭ everyday.‬‭ English‬‭ is‬‭ the‬‭ language‬‭ of‬‭ common-law,‬‭ in‬‭ which‬ ‭ most‬‭ legalese‬‭ stem‬‭ from.‬‭ Courtroom‬‭ discourse‬‭ has‬‭ notorious‬‭ been‬‭ dominated‬‭ by‬ ‭ niche‬‭ legalese,‬‭ a‬‭ subset‬‭ from‬‭ day-to-day‬‭ English.‬‭ For‬‭ a‬‭ defendant‬‭ who‬‭ does‬‭ not‬ ‭ speak‬‭ English,‬‭ or‬‭ has‬‭ a‬‭ limited‬‭ English‬‭ proficiency‬‭ (LEP),‬‭ language‬‭ barriers‬‭ can‬ ‭ impose‬‭ difficulties‬‭ on‬‭ any‬‭ court‬‭ proceedings‬‭ where‬‭ Legal‬‭ English‬‭ may‬ ‭ dominate.‬‭ Language‬‭ barriers‬‭ are‬‭ perplexities‬‭ in‬‭ communication‬‭ or‬ ‭ comprehension‬‭ between‬‭ individuals‬‭ speaking‬‭ different‬‭ languages‬‭ and‬‭ dialects.‬ ‭ The‬‭ Legal‬‭ English‬‭ used‬‭ in‬‭ legalese‬‭ is‬‭ designed‬‭ to‬‭ make‬‭ legal‬‭ proceedings‬‭ sound‬ ‭ official,‬‭ but‬‭ can‬‭ also‬‭ be‬‭ difficult‬‭ to‬‭ understand.‬‭ Due‬‭ to‬‭ preconceived‬‭ gaps‬‭ in‬ ‭ discourse‬‭ between‬‭ Legal‬‭ English‬‭ and‬‭ day-to-day‬‭ English,‬‭ discrepancies‬‭ between‬ ‭ both‬‭ native-English‬‭ and‬‭ non-native‬‭ English‬‭ speakers‬‭ (or‬‭ limited‬‭ English‬ ‭ proficiency;‬‭ LEP)‬‭ is‬‭ posed.‬‭ This‬‭ can‬‭ potentially‬‭ lead‬‭ to‬‭ difficulties‬‭ carrying‬‭ out‬ ‭ criminal‬‭ proceedings.‬‭ Difficulties‬‭ such‬‭ as‬‭ lack‬‭ of‬‭ interpreters‬‭ or‬‭ accurate‬ ‭ interpretation‬‭ for‬‭ defendants,‬‭ loss‬‭ of‬‭ nuance‬‭ in‬‭ translation‬‭ of‬‭ legal‬‭ text,‬‭ delays‬‭ in‬ ‭ proceedings,‬‭ diminished‬‭ defendant‬‭ credibility‬‭ (DDC)‬‭ in‬‭ testimonies,‬‭ and‬‭ due‬ ‭ process‬‭ are‬‭ all‬‭ at‬‭ stake‬‭ when‬‭ defendants‬‭ do‬‭ not‬‭ speak‬‭ the‬‭ dominant‬‭ discourse.‬ ‭ Conducting‬‭ criminal‬‭ proceedings‬‭ solely‬‭ in‬‭ Legal‬‭ English‬‭ puts‬‭ LEP‬‭ individuals‬‭ at‬ ‭ risk‬‭ of‬‭ injustice.‬‭ On‬‭ many‬‭ occasions‬‭ language‬‭ can‬‭ be‬‭ the‬‭ only‬‭ thing‬‭ standing‬ ‭ between‬‭ a‬‭ defendant’s‬‭ freedom‬‭ and‬‭ their‬‭ incarceration.‬‭ Through‬‭ critical‬‭ analysis‬ ‭ taken‬‭ from‬‭ a‬‭ variety‬‭ of‬‭ literature,‬‭ this‬‭ paper‬‭ focuses‬‭ on‬‭ the‬‭ difficulties‬‭ language‬ ‭ barriers impose on legal proceedings.‬ ‭
The Inmate Bill of Rights and the California Model Can Transform Prison Rehabilitation
The role that California prisons play within society has long been debated by politicians and prison officials. Some believe it is for punishment while others believe it is a space to heal and rehabilitate. However, currently the widespread belief is a combination of these ideologies. The California criminal justice system is set to punish, rehabilitate and reform offenders. (Centrone, 2020) This is the very ideology which created the California model for CDCR with the idea that prison is the punishment and what happens inside is the effort to rehabilitate. However, with the implementation of the California model, one issue remains the same, a lack of protection against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation creating barriers to limit the access of the rehabilitation programs.
Instability brought on by parental incarceration disturbs family relations and children's development. The paper examines how parental incarceration disproportionately affects underprivileged populations by studying the social stigmas, unstable finances, and strained relationships it causes. It advocates community-based solutions and family-centered policies to reduce harm and increase fortitude in affected families.
The names of children in cases from the Child Protective Services (CPS) in the United States, that suffered following CPS intervention are too close to home. In the case of Gabriel Fernandez and Sophia Mason, CPS interventions were marred by systematic failures– negligence, resource shortages, and agency workers who turned a blind eye to abuse and neglect, failing to fulfill their duty to protect children. Drawing on statistical data and case studies, this paper argues that CPS failures, while a result of individual neglect, are tied to a bigger problem in the United States– a flawed child welfare and criminal justice system. This paper advocates for increased federal and state funding, workforce development, advanced data analytics, and community-based interventions. These measures are necessary to protect the safety and well-being of every child in the child welfare system.
Juveniles Incarcerated in Adult Detention Facilities
The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of recent quantitative studies that investigate juveniles incarcerated in adult correctional facilities. I hypothesized that results would display that youths in the adult correctional system are victimized at significantly higher rates and provided fewer resources than youths in juvenile facilities. An analysis of the selected literature found that adult facilities often do not provide the same quality of mental, medical, or staffing services compared to those in juvenile detention centers reported by youths in the correctional system. However, varying information was found about the rates of sexual assault that suggested victimization does not occur nearly as often as expected. Adult incarceration as punishment has also been associated with higher rates of recidivism and long-term mental health problems post-incarceration than juveniles placed in facilities designed for their developmental level. The findings in this study underscore the individual needs of juveniles and how they are not met in adult facilities.
Through viewing a case study on the relationship that the United States immigration policy has on undocumented people living in New York, I use root cause analysis to demonstrate that most immigration policies negatively impact immigrants accessibility to living a healthy life. There are different pillars of life that policies impact people in, such as access to health care, the impacts of immigration systems affecting one’s mental health, and the way people’s environments affect their perception of security and support.
the United States as a land of opportunity continues to drive migrants from around the world, but the journey to the U.S. has changed dramatically in recent years. This paper examines the new dangers in the current state of migration, focusing on how systems of exploitation have evolved and intensified, making the pursuit of a better life increasingly dangerous. While hope remains the driving force behind migration, many are now forced into illegal and dangerous routes due to broken legal pathways by extreme visa backlogs and the shifting global landscape. Exploitive systems, ranging from corrupt governments and criminal cartels to traffickers using social media as a tool for manipulation are now the new migration reality. Additionally, the rise of the private immigration detention industry highlights the growing role of for-profit corporations that capitalize on the suffering of migrants. The paper discusses these contemporary changes and the ethical implications of the systems in place, advocating for systemic reform and international cooperation. It concludes with a call for a shift in migration policy, urging a focus on humane treatment and global collaboration to combat exploitation and ensure the safety and dignity of migrants.
Separation over Immigration in the Latino Community
This paper goes over the rising anti-immigrant sentiments in the Latino community that has become increasingly apparent after the 2024 election. Through social identity theory and crimmigration theory, I examine why these sentiments have arisen, along with an elaboration of what historical events have contributed to the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent years. The paper overall highlights that Latino immigrants, in an effort for self-preservation and stability, are separating themselves from the broader Latino community and have created a group of Latino immigrants who support anti-immigrant policies.
This paper studies the perception Queens Village residents have of the facilities created for undocumented migrants. After large anti-migrant protests filled the streets of Queens Village in 2022, this paper aims to understand why this immigrant enclave would express such hositility towards hosting these refugees. Through sixty in-depth interviewees with Queens Village residents, this paper dissects themes present in interviewees' remarks and explores nuances in our understanding of urban policy and distributive justice.
The Inhumane Practices of the American's Women Prison System
The Women's American Prison System perpetuates psychological, physical, and behavioral trauma through intolerable living conditions, inadequate health care, abuse from prison staff, and inadequate programs. Despite the ever-growing population of incarcerated women, little research has been conducted regarding women's detention facilities and the intersection of race, sex, and poverty in molding their experiences. This paper explores the many ways females experience trauma both inside and outside the penitentiary, highlighting the disproportionate impact on intersecting marginalized identities. It also examines the physiological effects of trauma to understand women's mental states before, during, and after incarceration, and how factors such as appearance, background, and societal status contribute to their risk for arrest. The results urge for proactive measures to aid marginalized and oppressed groups to be effectively addressed, and for reactive strategies to be researched to improve prisons and support reintegration. A fundamental shift in prison culture -- or the formation of an alternative system -- is necessary to provide an adequate environment for rehabilitation, educational, and mental health programs, and overall safety for incarcerated women.
This paper focuses on the stigmatization of incarcerated individuals by exploring their time during incarceration and the process of reentry. This is illustrated through the stressors they experience inside prison and outside to show how their criminalized identity puts them under intense social scrutiny where their morality is questioned by society. The way they look, act, and talk are all judged under a negative light due to their past actions. There is an emphasis on their struggles searching for employment and housing specifically due to how this stigma tends to affect this part of their lives post incarceration. The high risk of recidivism, also known as returning back to correctional facilities, could be prevented with the use of stigma reduction and rehabilitative measures taken by jail and prison systems.
In this essay, I address why we need to rethink justice through a Black feminist perspective, focusing on how the U.S. criminal justice system unfairly targets and harms Black women, femmes, and LGBTQ+ communities. Using the cases of Marissa Alexander and George Zimmerman as examples, it shows how prison reform often fails to address deeper systemic problems. Instead of breaking down harmful systems, reforms can make them stronger. Drawing from the works of Angela Davis, Mariame Kaba, and Beth Richie, the essay highlights how Black feminist abolition addresses these issues by focusing on how race, gender, and class intersect within the prison system. This essay explores transformative justice, mutual aid, and community-based ways to address harm without relying on police or prisons. It argues that dismantling punishment systems and promoting care, healing, and accountability can lead to real safety and justice. By connecting critical criminology and penal abolition, the essay calls for bold changes in how we approach justice, urging us to move beyond punishment and build community-driven solutions that lead to liberation for all.
Institutes of Higher Learning (IHEs) are uniquely situated to be able to educate young people making the transition from their formative households to engaging with the world as adults. Unfortunately, many students, including myself, have found college campuses to not only host sexual harm but foster it. By adhering to carceral approaches and norms IHEs foster sexual harm on campus and risk the educational outcomes of all students, not just the ones who cause harm. Though Title IX procedures are intended to provide an educational atmosphere free of sexual harassment, in practice they neither prevent nor adequately respond to much of the harm that occurs on campus. These institutions tend to approach isolated instances embedded within wider campus patterns of sexual harm as a decision around who gets to continue their education and under what limitations. In doing so, they are - inadvertently or not - taking a moral and political stance in favor of a culture of incarceration embedded within these institutions decades ago. But this carceral approach is demonstrably ineffective for protecting students and easing the pain of students who have been harmed, and works directly against the mission of these institutions to educate young people. By adhering to carceral approaches and norms IHEs foster sexual harm on campus and risk the educational outcomes of all students, not just the ones who cause harm. Outdated narratives, inadequate preventative education, and inadequate institutional support for students affected by sexual harm all accumulate to contribute to a broader culture of systemic - but avoidable - campus sexual harm. When IHEs fall back on carceral practices to presumably protect their students, they succumb to moral and institutional failure by missing educational opportunities not only to discourage campus-adjacent sexual harm, but also to lower the number of students who proceed to cause sexual harm after graduation, furthering campus missions to graduate responsible social citizens. This paper examines how IHEs foster sexual harm on their campuses while claiming to prevent it, with the intention of challenging the standard idea of students who commit sexual harm as irredeemable “bad people” who are not only disposable, but who must be disposed of in order to keep other students safe. What if instead we address the ways the institutions these students are attending actively foster this harm, and call for IHEs to live up to their mission to educate our next generation of responsible citizens?
A traditional single-lens reflex camera holds a mirror at the core of its mechanism. The mirror allows for light to reflect whatever the lens is focusing on to the viewfinder for the photographer. This mechanic holds no greater significance other than its intended function to give the photographer the opportunity to preview the photograph before taking the image, but I find great poetic symbolism in it. The photographer and the subject, tied together by their own reflections and a string of light– they are inseparable. This idea became my philosophy as a photographer but also an artist viewing photographs– the images are always informed by the photographer and vice versa.
The Annual Review of Criminal Justice Studies Volume 3
ARCJS is an open-access journal that publishes scholarly writings pertinent to the critical analyses of law, crime and justice systems and their entanglement with larger political economic processes. ARCJS contributors explore how ideas and systems of crime, law and justice shape broader issues of social justice, especially those related to the experience of race, class, gender, sexuality, and age inequality in the U.S. Ranging from the conception to the implementation to the transformation of law, crime and justice systems and ideas, ARCJS includes ethically reasoned critical analyses intent on contributing to the assessment of alternative solutions to problems associated with the identification, control and prevention of crime and delinquency.