Welfare Reforms and Mass Incarceration - Essay Example

Welfare Reforms and Mass Incarceration Question Welfare reforms are processes that are responsible for changing and management of social protection and safety provisions, but considered appropriate reforms usually debated on. (ADC) Aid to Families with Dependent Children and or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) 1996-current were welfare reforms that were specially designed for single mothers. The two eras of welfare for single mothers was generally between the years 1935 – 1996. The AFDC took the responsibility for a male wage earning for deserving women. It also had no time limit or even works requirements. No consideration was put forward for any entitlements. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is what AFDC reformed to as from 1996 till date. This welfare reform aimed at making women workers. TANF had work requirements that were noncompliant, and there were time limits(DeParle 33). There are several differences between the two eras of reforms for single mothers; AFDC and TANF. The similarities between the two eras are that they both had low payments, the limits in time were wanting , or even the work requirements were noncompliant. There has been a decline in benefits for AFDC over the years since 1970; these benefits had reduced tremendously from when the average family with four members would receive up to$792 to 1994 when they started receiving $435. In a real sense, the value of these declined by up to 60% since 1970. After the passage of Family Act in 1988, most of the benefits that AFDC gave were mostly related to the work that one did. Before we can pin point the differences between, AFDC and TANF. It is necessary to note that these welfare reforms had not aimed at alleviating poverty. They were viewed as issues that need to be tackled and thus the reforms. There was no place in the act they provided job opportunities instead they mandated that all should work(DeParle 100). The major differences between the AFDC and TANF were on several grounds; for example on entitlement; before the passing of the law, federal law indicated that a family and child that have met the basic requirements in specific categories are entitled to cash aid. With the passing of the new law it stipulates that there is no promise of aid neither was their entitlement for aid. This is crucial as it not only denies social collectivity and citizenship to individuals. This has also posed as a challenge to individuals in the capacity of legal aid attorneys. These attorneys are currently being barred from holding suits for class action. Federal welfare money stopped being issued to individual it is currently being offered as block grants. This set up went on as from 1996 to 2002; where money was issued to states to be shared amongst people. The basis at which this money was issued was on their expenditures. With time people developed dependency on the ADFC; that is in the early periods of these reforms. Presently, states have been given the mandate to only spend seventy five percent of this money and in case of recession there is a contingency fund that is provided. With the federal law if no work has been done on issuance of TANF then the individuals are given community service. It is the state that states which jobs would be done when someone is serving in community service. TANF seizes to be issued to individuals after five years of issuance. There were additional changes in food stamp allocation. That is families that lived below the poverty line (which was anything below seven thousand eight hundred dollars for a family of four) were given half the food stamp money cuts. In the American Dream women like Angie, Jewell and Opal managed to survive poverty due to these reforms. Each one of them had maximum relief from this welfare reforms and they finally managed to raise their children due to the terms that were being offered by these welfare reforms(DeParle 39). Question 2 Incarceration rates have increased since 1970 to date. Over 6 million people have gone in prison, probation and or parole since then. There have been racial disparities on who goes in for these incarcerations over the years. It was noted at some point that a good number of blacks would be incarcerated compared to the whites. The California three strikes back laws where one is put in prison for 25 years if the individual is a habitual offender. This law began in 1990 in the desire to increase the penalty for the habitual offenders. Some states have found this rule ineffective. They have made it seem as though the people being punished in these offences are filling the prisons although the crime rates have somewhat reduced. Some argued that this approach was inadequate because it viewed crime in black and white, when in real sense crime revolved around the gray area(Western 6). More troubling was the fact that more blacks were being affected by this direction than whites. The incarceration rates increased amongst the blacks than whites. The racial disparities among the blacks have caused a lot of controversy amongst this particular community of people. In fact it has made more black men to be angry, and this has resulted in increase in crime amongst the minority because they fill that they are being look down on by the government and by the whites. Apart from the racial disparities and the anger it brought amongst the blacks there was the aspect of economic necessity. Crime rates among the black community increased due to lack of certain needs. The whites were not lacking in this category, but they were better placed than most minority groups that constituted mostly of the Hispanic and Blacks. This system became more punitive due to fear of crime and the risks they posed on individuals in the society. There were policy changes that required a shift from rehabilitation to punishment for crime offenders. Additionally, there was a shift from what was known as indeterminate crime to mandatory sentencing laws. Apart from all the mentioned this was another way to tackle the war on drugs in the country. Some of the social consequences due to mass incarceration include the mentioned racial disparities amongst people, another would be that the crime rates have reduced in the population also the fact that there are many people who are imprisoned or put on crime watch; there is an enormous number of absentee fathers in most homes. This has limited people in fulfilling some of their social rights. Mass incarceration has not solely caused people to suffer but has also improved the safety of people in their homes as the crime offenders are keeping off their criminal activities(Western 55). Works cited DeParle, J. American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive To End Welfare. New York: Viking2004 Print Western, B. Punishment and inequality in America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Ch. 1?4, 6. 2006 Print. Read More