Blog 1, section 1: Entry 2 - News Paper Articles from September

"How America Criminalized Poverty"
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
publication: 10 August 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/aug/10/america-poverty-criminalised

There has been an ongoing difference of opinion on the views of poverty throughout history. Negative views create negative outcomes, thus, the idea that being poor as the result of laziness is believed to be in opposition to the societal order generating the idea that homelessness must be criminalized. According to Barbara Ehrenreich’s article, Kaaryn Gustafson of the University of Connecticut Law School states,“Applying for welfare is a lot like being booked by the police. There may be a mug shot, fingerprinting, and lengthy interrogations as to one's children's true paternity. The ostensible goal is to prevent welfare fraud, but the psychological impact is to turn poverty itself into a kind of crime” (How America Criminalized Poverty, para. 28). Barbara Ehrenreich also feels that” the constant suspicions of drug use and theft that I encountered in low-wage workplaces should have alerted me to the fact that, when you leave the relative safety of the middle class, you might as well have given up your citizenship and taken residence in a hostile nation” (How America Criminalized Poverty, para. 30). Criminalization of poverty has increased through the rise of poverty itself. Many states outlaw begging, cracking down on the indigent, and raiding homeless shelters in search of individuals with outstanding warrants such as “criminal trespassing” as sleeping on the streets. They are then pulled out of the shelters, brought to jail, and then thrown back on the streets, “They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless” (How America Criminalized Poverty, para. 35-36). Criminalizing poverty adds to the problems within society itself, thus making the elimination of poverty virtually impossible. Instead of punishing people for seeking help, we need to work together in assisting underprivileged individuals move in a positive direction toward change, not only for the individual, but for society as well.