A. Thesis Statement
American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population. Is this due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates?
II. Body paragraph #1 - Topic Sentence #1
While majority of the inmates are white, blacks and Hispanics populate the American prisons too in different countries.
.
A. Supporting Evidence
As a recent article read, African Americans make up 13% of the general US population, yet they constitute 28% of all arrests, 40% of all inmates held in prisons and jails, and 42% of the population on death row. In contrast, Whites make up 67% of the total US population and 70% of all arrests, yet only 40% of all inmates held in state prisons or local jails and 56% of the population on death row. Hispanics and Native Americans are also alarmingly overrepresented in the criminal justice system.(Skidnud 2006)
Table 5: RRI of New Admissions to Prison (State and Federal) by
Admission Type, 2003
B. Explanation
The overrepresentation of the American prisons has made a big impact on society today. Although we feel as if it’s a racism case we still don’t know if it will change.
C. So What?
While it would be too easy to dismiss every TV show directed at youths—in fact,
PBS and Discovery Kids offer excellent programming—children’s lives are increasingly centered around TV-watching, and thus, parents should regulate how much their kids are viewing regardless of content or perceived quality.
III. Body paragraph #2 - Topic Sentence #2
Moreover, with proper supervision or regulation, there are television programs that can distort a child’s perception of reality.
A. Supporting Evidence
In the online article “How TV Affects Your Child,” Dr. Mary Gavin (2008) points out that “TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.”
B. Explanation
Certainly, seeing these types of behaviors and stereotypes exhibited by favorite television personalities and encouraged by favorite shows can contradict with the values parents want to instill in their children, which can cause both tension and confusion. While television does have entertainment value, children cannot learn all the differences between right and wrong from it.
C. So What?
Although it is difficult to prevent children’s total exposure to questionable social mores and limited multicultural representation in the media, parents can have some control by supervising their children’s viewing as well as talk about what’s portrayed on television.
IV. Body paragraph #3 - Topic Sentence #3
Finally, television can