U.S. Prison System by dave granlund (2012)
Dave Granlund is a political cartoonist from Massachusetts. His work has been published in over 700 magazines since the 1960s on topics of political and social importance.
In this piece, Granlund is making a critique of the American prison system’s high recidivism rate. The cartoon depicts dark, faceless forms walking out of prison and then straight back in. This is representative of the endless cycle many Americans who become incarcerated face.
A successful prison system is not one that takes in citizens and then never lets them out. This cartoon is a testament to our nations need for prison programs and policies that help give people the tools they need to get out of jail and stay out. By continually incarcerating the same people we are not only destroying the lives of inmates but causing unnecessary economic burden on those who are not in prison as well.
In this piece, Granlund is making a critique of the American prison system’s high recidivism rate. The cartoon depicts dark, faceless forms walking out of prison and then straight back in. This is representative of the endless cycle many Americans who become incarcerated face.
A successful prison system is not one that takes in citizens and then never lets them out. This cartoon is a testament to our nations need for prison programs and policies that help give people the tools they need to get out of jail and stay out. By continually incarcerating the same people we are not only destroying the lives of inmates but causing unnecessary economic burden on those who are not in prison as well.
School to prison pipeline
by The Youth Justice Coalition (2011)
The Youth Justice Coalition is a group dedicated to educating the youth and eliminating race, gender, and class disparity in Los Angeles California.
In their piece, the white man on the left is representative of the budget cuts continually made to education funding. Students are then seen being dropped into the mouth of the man on the right who is representative of the prison industrial complex.
A small bird at the bottom is depicted saying “follow the money I guess..” This is a statement against using the prison system, which deprives people of their rights, to make money. The cartoon also sends the message that the more money we take away from teaching the youth, the more the prisons are going to fill up. We should be empowering our youth, not setting them up for failure and then making money off of them using the prison system.
In their piece, the white man on the left is representative of the budget cuts continually made to education funding. Students are then seen being dropped into the mouth of the man on the right who is representative of the prison industrial complex.
A small bird at the bottom is depicted saying “follow the money I guess..” This is a statement against using the prison system, which deprives people of their rights, to make money. The cartoon also sends the message that the more money we take away from teaching the youth, the more the prisons are going to fill up. We should be empowering our youth, not setting them up for failure and then making money off of them using the prison system.
Land of the free by adam zyglis (2008)
Adam Zyglis is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist in New York. His piece “Land Of The Free” makes statements about both the prison system and the attitudes of America at large. Though Americans call the United States “the land of the free,” few citizens know we have more people incarcerated than any other country in the world.
We learned in class that over 2. 2million Americans are locked up inside the prison system, which is represented in cartoon by the inmates trapped behind the American flag. The 1 in 99 represents the number of adults out of 99 live in prison. Although this cartoon’s message is broad, it connects to many different issues within the penal system such as overcrowding, inmate safety, officer safety, and legislative reform.
We learned in class that over 2. 2million Americans are locked up inside the prison system, which is represented in cartoon by the inmates trapped behind the American flag. The 1 in 99 represents the number of adults out of 99 live in prison. Although this cartoon’s message is broad, it connects to many different issues within the penal system such as overcrowding, inmate safety, officer safety, and legislative reform.