Mass Incarceration in the United States

"Being tough on crimes (is not the same thing!) as being tough on criminals"

This video illuminates the problem of mass incarceration in the United States. The war on drugs and tough on crime policies and ideology have resulted in the surge of the incarceration rates in the United States. Over the past three decades, the number of prison inmates in the United States has increased by more than 600 percent. I have even read Michelle Alexander's great book arguing that this phenomenon is the "New Jim Crow" in the age of colorblindness. On my end, I am more interested in the post-incarceration policy to mitigate such complex problem: such as the "ban the box" movement which is gaining support. One notable organization at the forefront of this is “All of Us or None,” a nonprofit grassroots organization based in Oakland that is dedicated to eliminating discrimination against ex-offenders, and has propelled the Ban the Box campaign nationwide. Currently, 50 cities and counties and 10 states have taken the important step of removing unfair barriers to employment in their hiring policies. Adopting the policy widely known as “ban the box,” these initiatives typically remove the question on the job application about an individual’s conviction history and delay the background check inquiry until later in the hiring process. Of those ten states, four states—Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island—have banned the box for private employers, which many advocates embrace as the next step in the evolution of these policies. These initiatives are due to the prevalent discrimination practices towards ex-offenders in job applications. Positive outcomes have been shown and better outcomes are anticipated from this ban-the-box movement such as lower recidivism and giving equal chance to ex-offenders to reintegrate into society. Although there are more rooms for advocacy with regards to the lives of ex-offenders such as housing, education and welfare discrimination, - the focus on employment will substantially propel more reform to come, I hope. As Michelle Alexander sarcastically notes in, “[a]fter all, criminals are the one social group in America that nearly everyone – across political, racial and class boundaries – feels free to hate.” Through discriminatory practice, it made me reflect upon this occurrence: that we “boxed” in the lives of ex-offenders with endless suffering; perhaps we should analyze who are really impersonating the role of “offenders”.

The "Area of Risk" Justification for Favela Removals: The Case of Santa Marta

http://rioonwatch.org/?p=11410

In light of the two international events, the 2014 World  Cup and the 2016 Olympics Games, Rio's favelas have been the target for projects of favela eradication and home demolitions. Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes announced the plan of 5% reduction of favelas and demolitions of residences in 'environmentally risky area', in which most favelas are located.

This is the case for the favela Santa Marta, which for several years has been under the threat of eviction. The residents, whose homes are part of their history and identity, have organized to stop this projects, protesting and taking their fights to court.

In 2010, during the first favela removal phase, evictions were abrupt. As in the case of the favela Metro-Mangueira, residents of the favelas were left in their demolished ruins of their homes. Other than the psychological state of frustration and despair, the residents were exposed to increased risk of diseases as dengue.

Beginning in 2008, Police Pacification Units (UPP) have been implemented in many favelas. In order to create a 'safer' environment for the million of tourists estimated for the 2014 World Cup, the policy approach to urban poverty in Rio underwent a switch from 'urban upgrading' to 'pacification'. The main goal of the UPP is not to stop criminality and end drug trafficking, but instead to take back territories controlled by drug factions. Recently, bringing social services and social investments started to take place in a few favelas. As a result of this policy approach, crime rates have been significantly decreasing.

We have a Lime CRISIS!!

Two limes for $1, or $11.99 for a bag of 25 limes at most!! I was shocked as I did my grocery shopping this past weekend. I’m a big fan of limes, but for this time, I had to limit the amount I was to consume until my next trip to the grocery store. But why are lemons and limes so expensive, when there was a time we were able to purchase up to ten lemons for just $1? The price of limes not just locally but nationally is closely tied to one of Mexico's infamous drug cartels, Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templars).

These delicious fruits are largely grown in one specific region: the state of Michoacán. This is where the cartel has marked its territory. This cartel has been elbowing in for a few years now, and they have had Michoacán residents in fear by controlling the lime production. What they have done over the last couple of years is that “if they're nice, they put humongous taxes on the farmers. If they're not nice, they just kill farmers and take the land and take over lime production themselves." The fist option has causes farmers to reduce the amount of exportations they have done, in order not to pay taxes evertimes they want to export limes.

This has affected the United States because the decrease in exportation has caused the prices of lime to increase dramatically. For example in Southern California, a consumer says that a case of limes used to sell for about $40, but not the price is closer to $100. This has caused restaurants to charge for small wedges of lime, when before they would, without extra charge, bring out bowls of limes for customers.

Although prices have skyrocketed in the United States, it is not affecting us as much as Mexico. Mexico is the biggest lime producer, yet they have the world’s most expensive limes. Statistics have shown that “prices have risen more than 200 percent since December to 80 pesos ($6.10) a kilogram, higher than Mexico's daily minimum wage.” This crisis is a serious matter in a country where lime is such a popular condiment that ranks “as the equivalent of mayonnaise in the Unites States.”

In some parts of Mexico where Limes are a crucial ingredient for Margaritas, Bartenders are asking home growers to bring them a bag of limes, and in exchange they will sell them a margarita for only 25 cents. This is clearly a rip off because limes are more valuable than Margaritas.

Not only is this affecting people in Mexico, making it more difficult to afford limes, but this crisis is also putting their lives in danger by having to live in an environment which is not safe for either them or their families. But they have to deal with this because they cannot afford to live elsewhere.

Nonetheless, limes have become an expensive commodity.

To Read more on the crisis of limes, check out the links below: