SWA #23

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

April 2, 2012

Outline

Title: Improving Our Schools without Improving Test Scores

Thesis: The failing United States school system would see the greatest improvement by eliminating standardized testing and using a more effective evaluation system.

1. Problem – The current US education system is failing its students and will continue to do so until some change is enacted.
1. Teachers’ Unions prevent ineffective teachers from getting fired under the idea of tenure.
2. Standardized testing gives students only what is necessary to do well on the tests and no more.
3. The No Child Left Behind Policy rewards high preforming schools and punishes underperforming schools.
4. All students are not treating equally within the school system and gifted students are given more attention.
2. Solution – Elimination of standardized tests altogether and a focus on teacher evaluation of students.
1. Standardized tests should be eliminated altogether from the school curriculum.

                                                              i.      Standardized tests are useful for student evaluation in some ways but they become the only method of evaluating students.

                                                            ii.      Their use has become abused in all schools throughout the United States.

                                                          iii.      That is why they should be eliminated altogether rather than still used in a small manner.

2. Standardized test are way for the government and the administration to see how schools are performing but offer no real learning potential to the students.

                                                              i.      The current use of standardized tests is not what they were designed for.

                                                            ii.      They were just supposed to be a way the government could determine how much money to give to each school.

                                                          iii.      They have no become the main subject of teaching and some students are taught nothing but what will be on these tests.

3. In the evaluation of standardized tests students are compared to each other rather than up against some standard of excellence.

                                                              i.      This means there is no real standard for what students will be held up against.

                                                            ii.      Each year the standard will change.

4. Teachers should evaluate students individually.

                                                              i.      The United States is one of the only economically driven countries that still uses standardized tests as the main way of evaluating students.

                                                            ii.      Students should be evaluated by their teachers and then at a higher level of education they should be evaluated by a panel of teachers.

                                                          iii.      Individual teachers could evaluate the students through primary school but in secondary school a panel of teachers would evaluate their students.

                                                          iv.      To most Americans this concept seems so foreign and probably very difficult to enact but it is what most European countries do and the United States is well behind these countries in education.

3. Justification
1. Standardized tests are the greatest problem to the American education system.

                                                              i.      They led to all other kinds of problems within the education system.

Fixing the current curriculum based solely on improving tests scores would improve all aspects of the education system. 

SWA #22

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

March 28, 2012

SWA #22

            The current education system in the United States is no longer the top education system in the world and far behind many European countries. It is a problem that has been getting progressively worse since the 1960’s. One of the first real major changes was the No Child Left Behind policy in 2001 but that been ineffective and has even made some parts of the education system worse. Standardized testing and Teachers’ Union have all added to the problem of the decline of the American Education system.

Thesis: The biggest problem with the current American education system is the use of standardized testing to evaluate students. More effective ways of evaluation would have a great impact on all aspects of the education system.

SWA #21

PAPER 3

The issue discussed in this paper is deforestation. The importance is explained at my different times throughout the paper bringing up new reasons it is important.

The four different views are easily identifiable. The first view is that of the locals which disagree on whether or not they should let the big businesses continue to cut down the trees. The second view is that of the businesses. The business that are responsible for deforestation are dependent on these trees and would go out of business if  they had to stop. The third view is that of medical researchers which think deforestation should stop because valuable plants and animals are becoming extinct. The fourth view is that of environmentalist who think everyone, except the locals, should leave and the allow the locals  to have their land back. The thesis is informative but not very concise.

The introduction effectively leads into the argument by giving the readers the necessary information need about deforestation. It introduces the reader to the problem and the different sides of the problem. The conclusion effectively leads out of the argument by presenting the authors opinion and possible solutions the author might have to the problem.

This essay is generally effective but has a some problems.The different sides of the argument are all very similar which is at some points confusing. The different sides do not have different solutions. The different sides are offering, basically, the same solution from different points of view. This essay could use more facts than the ones include.

SWA #20

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

March 21, 2012

SWA #20

Title: Fixing American Education: Solutions to a Failing System

Thesis: The problems with the American education system are great and numerous, but solutions to the problem appear to be promising.

                   I.            The American education system has been failing its students for quite some time now and attempted solutions, while good in theory, never seem to work out properly and have very minimal effect on changing the American education system. The United States used to have the top education system in the world but now it is far behind most European countries. The No Child Left Behind policy had the greatest impact of anything so far. There are many critics of it, but just like any proposed change.  

                II.            Teachers’ Unions pose one of the greatest problems for the education system.

a)      Under the idea of tenure teachers remain teaching regardless of how effective they are.

i)        Teachers’ Unions have brought about the idea of tenure so teachers have a very small chance of losing their jobs.

ii)      In most states, tenure can be gained by working just two or three years.

iii)    After receiving tenure, teachers will rarely be fired because of ineffectiveness.

iv)    Many teachers’ unions require a teacher to be a part of the union if they want to teach in the state.

v)      Ineffective teachers will remain teaching which can have very negative effects on the students.

b)      Evaluations of teachers’ effectiveness should be done instead of the idea of tenure.

i)        Teachers should be evaluated on their effectiveness to determine if they are adequate to continue teaching.

ii)      Some critics of the education system say the effectiveness of teachers is the biggest influence on students’ ability to learn. It is not solely based on the quality or type of learning environment.

c)      This view is held members of the government and some teachers.

             III.            Performance on standardized tests is the way most states determine how much money to give to the schools.

a)      Standardized testing fails to correctly evaluate student performance.

i)        This type of testing causes teachers and administration to only focus on improving test scores.

ii)      Teachers begin to only “teach to the test” which means they only teach students what is necessary to do well on tests and nothing more.

iii)    Schools that do not do well on these tests get reduced funding and the students only tend to do worse there.  

b)      There are more effective ways to evaluate student performance.

i)        The United States is one of the only countries in the world that evaluates student performance solely on standardized tests.

ii)      A better determining factor of student performance would be teachers’ evaluations of students doing learning tasks rather than a standardized test.  

c)      This is the view of many members of the government and also the view of some teachers.

             IV.            The No Child Left Behind policy originally started in 2001 as a way to evaluate student performance

a)      This policy started as a way to improve schools performance by adding incentives to schools that do well according to a set of standards that were set.

i)        This creates some major problems within the school system.

ii)      Underperforming schools get penalized for not meeting the set standards.

iii)    Schools may lower their standards so they are not penalized but this then causes the students to get a less effective education.

b)      Obama plans to make a complete overhaul of this policy.

i)        Obama wants to focus more on the underperforming schools which may cause changes in administration or even closing the schools down.

ii)      Obama wants to create a set of standards that are agreed upon by all states but these standards would be less focused on standardized tests.

c)      This is the current view of many members of the government including the president and the secretary of education.

                V.            Gifted students are treated as superiors and therefore given more attention.

a)      In most schools gifted or exceptionally smart students are given much more attention by teachers and the average or poorly performing students are forgotten.

i)         These gifted students are put in special class and allowed to be in special programs that allow them to get even smarter.

ii)      It may not be a bad thing but then more money is spent on these gifted students while the rest of the students suffer.

Conclusion: The American education system is a growing failure and will not improve until someone enacts real change. All of the problems within the education system cannot be solved so determining which is the most important will have the greatest effect on bringing about any real change. This education system is something I have experienced firsthand and would like to see changed before it fails more children. I believe the biggest problem is  the focus on standardized testing and changing that may bring the greatest improvement to the education system in the United States.

SWA

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

March 14, 2012

SWA

Sam Register, et al. "Why We Can't Get Rid Of Failing Teachers." Newsweek 155.11 (2010): 24-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

Teachers’ unions are allowing ineffective teachers to stay teaching. These teachers in elementary and secondary education are having a large influence on low academic achievement in these schools. Most states have very strong teachers’ unions which give teachers almost lifetime tenure after teaching for only two or three years of teaching. This is contributing to America’s low education standards and academic scores. The United States used to be one of the top achieving academic systems in the world and is now below most of Europe. It has been seemingly overlooked until now but the greatest influence on academic achievement is not quality or type of learning environment but the quality of the teachers. The government is instituting new programs to try and break up the power of the teachers’ unions and also give more credit to the more deserving teachers.

Granger, David A. "No Child Left Behind And The Spectacle Of Failing Schools: The Mythology Of Contemporary School Reform." Educational Studies 43.3 (2008): 206-228. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

This article discusses the failures of the current ways that teachers are evaluated and how the current evaluations techniques make it almost impossible to determine if a teacher is actually good. The teaching system is flawed because it is too curriculum based and it makes the profession of teaching something almost anyone could do, therefore lowering its value. It makes teachers feel demeaned and underappreciated. The current ways of testing for teachers only are there to ease the minds of the public and have no real purpose in determining a teacher’s competency. 

SWA

By researching terms related to Kang's essay, I found many different articles relating to the same concept as Asian Americans playing baseball in the major leagues. Many of these Japanese players were cheered for by other Asian Americans just because they were Asian, not because they were  particularly skilled. It showed that racism is very much alive in baseball because certain players are written off just because they are not Americans, before they have even had a chance to show what they are capable of doing. Some people have even said that Asian Americans are sometimes put on teams just to gather support for their team from other Asians. They know the Asian Americans will support other Asians, therefore supporting the team.

3/12/2012

Certain players are discriminated against because they are not of American origin. The author makes the point American's will accept foreign players if they are good or stars in the sport. Asian Americans are not usually accepted into the sport, but Ichiro was accepted into the sport because he was very good. Baseball is America's pastime so many Americans want to keep the purity of baseball with Americans. The author is disappointed with himself because he liked Ichiro for the wrong reasons, racial reasons.

This article completes the task of getting his point across that stereotypes cloud people's judgment when looking at sports stars. His argument is effective with both personal experiences and facts about the issue he is raising. As a Korean he is able to get his point across because he falls into the same stereotypes.

The idea of true Americans is addressed in this article. Kang presents the idea that certain players will not be accepted into baseball because they are not truly Americans. Stereotypes are brought up because certain races are generally not seen as good at baseball as Americans. Kang himself does follows the same stereotype by cheering for an Asian player even though he is Korean and Ichiro is Japanese. Kang regrets this decision to cheer Ichiro because it made him an unreliable source because he was falling into the stereotypes that he is trying to write against.

SWA #17

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

March 12, 2012

SWA #17

Jost, Kenneth. "Revising No Child Left Behind." CQ Researcher 16 Apr. 2010: 337-60. Web. 12             Mar. 2012.

This article discusses the problems with no child left behind policy that President Bush started over eight years. It also outlines solutions that President Obama plans on making to the policy. Both liberals and conservatives criticize this policy saying it puts too much emphasis on standardized testing and schools that do poorly on these test lose funding. Obama wants to focus on improving the lowest preforming schools. Teachers unions are opposing this policy because it would most likely result in the firing of many teachers. Instead of having each state have its own set of standards for education, Obama wants to adopt a national set of standards.

Clemmitt, Marcia. "School Reform." CQ Researcher 29 Apr. 2011: 385-408. Web. 12 Mar.          

2012.

The United States no longer leads the world in education standards. Reformers to the current education system want to create more charter schools and fire teachers based on students’ performance on tests. Republicans have recommended such an approach to education reform for some time now. They also want to weaken the strength of teachers’ unions. Teachers’ unions protect teachers from claims of incompetency and keep them from being fired.  President Obama wants to start a more data driven analysis of teachers’ performances. 

SWA #16

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

February 29, 2012

SWA #16

Fullan, Michael. "The Three Stories of Education Reform." Kappan Professional Journal. N.p.,      17 Apr. 2000. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

                        Michael Fullan outlines three different stories that try and help solve the problem

that the education system is facing today. It shows the three different ways in which reform has to happen for it to be effective and actually have some kind of lasting changing. Fullan says that the reason change has not happened so far is that people fail to understand both the local school systems and the surrounding infrastructure. The first story he goes over is the “inside story” which talks about changing the schools internal dynamics. The second story is the “inside-outside” story and this deals with how successful schools deal with all the outside reason that would stop them from being effective schools. The third story is the “outside-in” story and that deals with how agency outside of the schools can be reformed to better the schools themselves.

Resnick, Lauren, and Megan Hall. "Learning Organizations for Sustainable Education Reform."   Daedalus 127 (1998): 89-118. Print.

                        This article starts out by saying that education reform has been around for a while

but has always had disappointing results. The reason why it continues to happen is because businesses are now calling for more education from their employees. The authors say that one of the main problems education reform does not happen is people are too focused on gift or talented students rather than focusing on all the students as a whole. The smarter students only tend to get smarter. Another problem they outline is the difficult dealing with the government and other organizations when it comes to trying to reform. 

SWA #15

1. The issue of failing school systems is fairly easy to research. This is an issue that can either be done at a local or global level. Education reform is a very popular topic among scholars and many studies have been done related to things such as high school drop out rates and illiteracy rates. I am leaning towards this issue since there has been a lot research done on the topic. There are many different opinions on how to solve the problem  or at least try and make the probably a little bit less worse.

2. The issue of whether or not the media causes increasing violent acts seems to be highly debated. Studies have been conducted to see whether or not violence in media cause more violent acts to be preformed. It would seem to be an increasingly worse cycle if that is the case. This is not a new issue but it has not gathered any definitive results so views from different decades could be compared to see if there have been any large changes. I am also leaning towards this issue since it is a highly debated topic.

3. An issue that has only come up recently is whether too much medicine is bad for us. This topic seems to have less information on it since it not necessarily a new debate but one that has become popular only recently. Not very many studies have been done so far so it will probably be a difficult topic to research.

SWA #13

1 a) Does violence in TV shows and movies desensitize people and lead to violent or antisocial behavior?
b) Recent acts of violence, by younger people, are often attributed to violence in movies, tv shows, or video games.
c) I do not think it does lead to violent behavior.
d) I would like to research if people have become more violent or antisocial with increase of violence in the media.

2 a) Has the increase of prescription drug use in recent years led to diseases such as autism or ADHD?
b) People are being medicated for almost anything today and this could lead to more issues rather than solving them.
c) I think prescription drug use is way too high and the negative side effects from long term use have not been appropriately identified.
d) I would like to research the how much prescription drug use has increased in recent years and also research the amount of diseases and disorders that have also increased.

3 a) The failing education system
b) Our current education system is very poor compared to other 1st world countries. The average student is not challenged and some people graduate high school without even knowing how to read.
c) I believe our current education system is facing some major problems and if it does not get better soon we may see a generations of very uneducated people who only know who to use computers and cell phones.
d) I would like to research topics like the dropout rate, illiteracy rate, and course work that is involved in most students schooling.

SWA #12

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

February 20, 2012

SWA #12

Waters, Alice. "A Healthy Constitution." The Carolina Reader: Third Edition. Ed. Lee Kauknight and W. Matthew J. Simmons. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2012. 337-338. Print.

Waters’ essay talks about how the current cafeteria system in place, in schools, is failing the not just health wise but also in all aspects of schools. Water’s mentions a scene from the documentary “Super Size Me”, where many obese children are shown to make a point that the cafeteria at that school had only unhealthy options. Waters then goes on to discuss how a school that completely eliminated unhealthy options from their cafeteria not only made the kids healthier and made them get sick less often but it also made them perform better in school.

Food can be used to teach the central values of democracy because in a properly run food system all of the different places where foods is either sold or grown work together for the benefit of the people. That is how a properly run democracy should be. All the sections of the democracy work together and help each other. Waters says there is a link between healthy meals and learning. She gives evidence of three students who felt their school lives had improved once they started eating healthier. More evidence would have strengthened her argument but it was also a short essay so more evidence would not have necessarily been appropriate. 

SWA #11

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

February 15, 2012

SWA #11

Bittman’s arguments in his essay, “Bad Food? Tax It”, are effective at first glance but are overly critical and seemingly without too much thought. Bittman’s arguments are based too much in facts and not enough in ideas. Facts are a very important part of any argument, when they are appropriate, and in this case they are appropriate, but he uses them too much. His argument is based almost solely in facts and when it comes to ideas he thinks someone else should come up with them. He draws readers in with impressive, and even scary, facts and figures but then offers no real solution to the problem. Bittman also seems to think ideas like this have no consequences. Major changes like the one Bittman is proposing are very difficult and can be very problematic. Bittman does not present any of the consequences or problems that could arise from this proposed idea.

SWA #10

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

February 15, 2012

SWA #10

Title: Taxing Food, Changing America’s Diet?

Thesis: Increasing or creating a tax on bad or unhealthy food will make the people of America healthier.

I.                   Taxing unhealthy foods will make people healthier.

a.       Obesity is a major problem in the United States right now and it will only become worse.

                                                              i.      Taxing these bad foods would not only help people to become less obese but it would also stop people from becoming obese.

                                                            ii.      Taxing foods with high sugar and fat content will lead to a healthier nation.

b.      Type 2 Diabetes is also a problem that can be linked to unhealthy eating and obesity.

                                                              i.      A large fraction of Americans either have diabetes or are close to getting it.

                                                            ii.      It is a deadly problem that needs a solution.

II.                Taxing unhealthy food will save the government money in healthcare costs.

a.       If these bad foods are taxed and less people experience these health problems the government will not need to spend as much money treating people.

                                                              i.      Heart disease related to obesity is one of the major causes of death.

                                                            ii.      Diabetes affects nearly one third of all Americans.

b.      The government will save money in the long run because if obesity and diabetes grow in America it will cost the government even more than it does now.

                                                              i.      This is not a problem that will go away but will only become worse.

                                                            ii.      Spending money to solve the problem now will save money in the long run.

III.             Bittman’s arguments are effective but at the same time come off as very critical.

a.       His arguments are based too heavily in facts and not enough ideas.

                                                              i.      Facts are good for any argument but too many takes away from an original thought or ideas.

                                                            ii.      The facts show that he has done research but not necessarily thought this idea out.

                                                          iii.      He obviously has a fact for any situation but not a real solution.

b.      Ideas like this do not come without consequences.

                                                              i.      Bittman presents this idea as not problematic at all.

                                                            ii.      Ideas like this always have consequences and Bittman does not present any of the consequences.

IV.             Conclusion: Bittman makes an effective argument through the use of facts and figures to convince readers that there is a problem that has a simple solution. Even though the argument may be effective it is lacking.

SWA #9

The central claim of John Robbins' article is that use of antibiotics in "factory farming" is the reason for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Over the past 50 years or so the use of antibiotics has become more and more prevalent in the field of medicine. As antibiotics are used more they become less effective and will at some point lose all effectiveness. The general assumption people make is that antibiotics used on humans cause their effectiveness to dwindle, but that is not the case. Robbins points out that only about 30 percent of antibiotics are used on humans. The other 70 percent are used on animals, and a majority of those are used in "factory farming" not just to treat sick animals. A bill has been put before Congress to ban the use of antibiotics in the feed of livestock. This would not stop farmers from treating sick animals. It would only stop farmers from giving antibiotics to all of their animals. Stopping the use of antibiotics in feed would not come with out other changes. Many of these "factory farms" would have to change a lot so their animals would not be at risk of constant infection.

SWA #8

1. Scully builds and supports his case that cruelty to animals should be a conservative cause by claiming that it is not the animals right but that it is morally wrong for humans to be cruel to animals. The liberals generally make the case that animals should have the same rights as people therefore they should not be abused in the way that they are in place such as "factory farms". Conservatives generally do not like this view but Scully presents a new one. Scully says it is not the animals right to not be abused but it is morally wrong for humans to participate in such practices towards animals. This means that even if conservatives do not think animals have the same rights as humans, they should still not have such cruelties inflicted upon them.

2. Scully seems to be for the "rights" of animals. By claiming that the only people that generally care about this issues are those that think animals have certain rights, he is caring and therefore showing that animals have certain rights. Scully's whole argument is that even if a certain person does not think animals have certain rights, it is still morally wrong to abuse them or be cruel to them. Scully is coming from a position that cares for the rights of animals and then says even if you do not care about animals rights you should care about being morally just.

Concerns about Essay 1

• Conclusion is too short and ineffective.
• Descriptions of ads are too short.
• More effective word choice could be used. 
• Some of the arguments are weak.

SWA #6

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

February 1, 2012

SWA # 6

Analysis of Ads

The world of advertisement is based on manipulation and exploitation of the people’s desires. Advertising is the same regardless of who the audience is and what the product is that is trying to be sold. Gum is no exception to this. Both 5 Gum and Orbit gum have ads directed towards manipulating the consumers to buy. Assumptions are made about what the consumers like and want and then those are exploited. Orbit gum ad is based on a more classy approach but at the same time it is slightly sensual. The 5 Gum ad is based on individuality and new experiences, these are both things, that the consumers of the magazine that this ad is in, seek. These ads attempt to sell to the consumer by making assumptions about the consumer and then exploiting it. 

SWA #5

1. The magazine that featured this ad was Us Weekly.

2. The topics typically covered in this magazine are celebrity news and celebrity gossip. 

3. The typical readers for this magazine are middle class with an average income around $60,000. The gender of the readers is female. The typical age range for the reader is from 18-49.

4. The advertisements featured in this magazine are just general items. Things that people would use in their everyday lives like gum.

5. Publishers assume the readers value anything celebrities like. 

1. The magazine that featured this ad was Seventeen.

2. The topics typically covered in this magazine are celebrity news and fashion.

3. The typical readers of this magazine are girls and young woman from ages 12-21.

4. The typical advertisements in this magazine are things teenager like, such as gum or clothing.

5. Publishers assume the readers of this magazine value outward appearance. 

Advertisements

1. These are both gum advertisements. The first one, 5 Gum, is from the magazine Seventeen. The second, Orbit Gum, is from Us Weekly.

2. The ad for 5 Gum comes from the magazine Seventeen. The audience of this magazine is mainly teenagers. Its more likely geared towards females than males.

The ad for Orbit gum comes from the magazine Us Weekly. The Us Weekly is an older audience than the audience of Seventeen. Its more likely from about 20 to 40 years old and is more likely women than men.

3. 5 Gum is presented a very exhilarating almost chilling feeling, something that one would not expect from gum. The phrase "Ever tried speed skating on dry ice" is something most people have not done which causes one to think. The pack of gum is almost frozen which gives a sense that this gum is so minty that its cold. 5 Gum is able to "stimulate your sense".  This ad also features a QR code.

Orbit gum is presented in a much different way than 5 Gum. The style of the ad is not modern at all but more of a 50's style. A double entendre is used with the slogan. As the gum package is unwrapped, woman gets partially undressed. The woman is wearing all white which is very clean.

4. I choose these two ads because I have chewed both types of gum before and never really thought about how they advertised themselves. The two ads are completely different in there styles of presenting. The Orbit  gum is going for a more sophisticated approach and style like that of the 50's. The 5 Gum is going for a much more modern edgy approach. It also does not have a model representing the gum in any way which is interesting and makes it more individual. The 5 Gum is trying to appeal to the need to be an individual and to try something different.

SWA #3

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

January 23, 2012

SWA #3

The Use of Arguments

            Arguments can be made in many forms, but two of the most useful are essays and pictures. Every society faces some set of moral or practical issues. The issues are sometimes the same throughout generations but many times different issues faces each generation. Two of the most pressing issues of this generation are illegal immigration and the prison system.

            In Figure 2.1 of Writing Arguments, a man is holding a sign that says, “It’s illegal to hire illegals.” Illegal immigration is one of the greatest issues of this generation. These illegal immigrants come to the U.S. for work opportunities that are not available where they are originally from. By no means do these people come to the U.S. to get rich. They come to support their families, and not just immediate family but all of their family. They could be supporting up to twenty people on pay far below minimum wage. These immigrants have become a major element in the work force of the U.S. and there could be close to twenty million of them here at any given time. The man holding the sign makes a valid point. Not only are the illegal immigrants breaking the law but so are any people that hire them. Unemployment is very high in the U.S. and illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from legal citizens. One major problem arises here, the generally population of U.S. citizens are lazy and proud. They would rather be unemployed than be working ten hours a day doing construction or landscaping. They would never work for under minimum wage but these illegal immigrants are satisfied with many making any money at all. Illegal immigration is also related to another problem the U.S. faces right now and that is the failing prison system.

            In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s essay “What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For?”, some of societies biggest moral and social problems are examined. This prison system becomes worse and worse as more and more people are added to it. The problem is becoming worse not getting better at all. A prison has two main functions. The first is to keep people that are dangerous away from the rest of society and punish them for breaking the law and the second is to deter people from breaking the law. The prisons are overcrowded with quite a few people who do not truly belong there. Overcrowding has resulted in reduced sentences for many prisoners. Someone who was given five years in prison might only spend 18 months because the prisons are too full. This no longer deters people from committing crimes. People who truly belong to be in prison are being set free and those who could be innocent are forced to stay in these overcrowded, violent prisons.