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Shaan Johri
Professor White
ENG 123
Nov 26, 2015
Media Violence and Mass Incarceration: A Cycle of Violence
With the increase in mass shootings and violence we are seeing across our country over the past
generation, many effecting schools and churches, one must wonder what is inspiring these
events.
The increase in crime in the late 1980s and 1990s called for a tougher stance on crime. In the
process, our prison system has grown into a bubble of mass incarceration. With crime rates
dropping, and ex-convicts being reentered into society, how can we protect ourselves from this
vicious cycle of violence? How can we protect the future generation from becoming violent, and
how can we help those prisoners acclimatize back to society?
Dropping ones child off at school has never become such a gamble as it is today, as mass
shootings have skyrocketed in the past decade.
Adam Lanza killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, inside the house on the morning of Dec. 14,
2012, then drove to the school where he gunned down 20 children and six adults before
committing suicide (AP , 2015).

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Adam Lanza had notched up more than 83,000 'kills' on his beloved video games
including 22,000 'head shots' as he trained himself for the horrific Sandy Hook massacre,
it has emerged.
The 20-year-old also wore head-to-toe military garb around the house and created an
indoor shooting range where he used his pellet gun to shoot at homemade paper targets.
According to a new book on the mass shooting that rocked the nation one year ago this
month, Nancy Lanza recalled to a friend days before the attack that her son had become
increasingly obsessed with the military since she told him he wasn't cut out to be a
Marine, and she described finding disturbing pictures of mutilated corpses and murdered
children under his bed (Bates and Pow , 2013).
This first-person-shooter style video game did not hit the mainstream consumers list until the
late 1990s. Violent media is very dangerous, because it is very difficult to regulate age limits on
who is exposed to this. This regulation and terms of understanding needs to begin in the home at
a young age in regards to video games and also violent music.
Psychologists say that a child who has been exposed to media violence at age
eight, is more likely to show aggressive tendencies at age eighteen (Jackson and
Anderson).
One eerie example of how violent media can influence us is a Murder which occurred in Austin
Texas by Ronald Ray Howard, who was playing violent rap music at the time of murder. The
song he was playing was as follows (discretion advised):

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' I got a tech-9 now his smokin' ass is mine . . .
Comin' quickly up the streets
is the punk ass police
the first one jumped out and said freeze .
I popped him in his knees . '
- Tupac Shakur
Ronald Ray Howard, who was sentenced to death Wednesday by a jury here, says he can
still hear the scream of the highway patrolman he gunned down 15 months ago during a
routine traffic stop on a dark road near Houston.
The Texas teen-ager is also haunted by a second memory from that tragic night: the angry
rap music blasting from the tape deck as he pulled the trigger--music his attorney claimed
was partially responsible for the slaying (Philips , 2003).
It is clear to see that our violent culture is creating a generation that is prone to aggression by
examining the history of violent media and how it has contributed to the mass incarceration
bubble that we are facing.
States are facing budget crisis. Many offenders are repeat offenders dont know how to deal
when released. How can we help them integrate into society peacefully with dignity? How can
we prevent our children from being influenced by media violence and the aggressive culture it
creates?
Louisiana Governor and Presidential candidate Bobby Jindal sees the cultural epidemic clearly.

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What is the root cause of all these evil acts? These people who go into classrooms and
churches and murder innocent people? How did we get to this place? These shootings are
a symptom of deep and serious cultural decay in our society. Let that sink in for a minute.
These acts of evil are a direct result of cultural rot, and it is cultural rot that we have
brought upon ourselves, and then we act like we are confounded and perplexed by what is
happening here
We glorify sick and senseless acts of violence in virtually every element of our pop
culture, and we have been doing that for at least a generation. Our movies and TV shows
feature a continuous stream of grotesque killing of every kind imaginable. And this is true
of virtually every genre, from horror to drama to comedy. We celebrate and document
every kind of deviant behavior and we give out awards to producers who can push the
envelope as far as possible. Rape, torture, murder, mass murder, all are cinematic
achievements. Our music does the same thing, we promote evil, we promote the
degradation of women, we flaunt the laws of God and common decency and we promote
it all and we flood our young people with it. We have generations of young boys who
were raised on video games where they compete with other young boys around the
country and the world to see who can kill the most humans.
We make it so fun, so realistic, so sensational. We devalue human life, we have no
regard for the sanctity of human life in any regard, from the unborn, to the old, and to
every single person in between, we devalue it and act as if we have almost no regard for
humanity. Our families are a complete mess, and we have raised tens of millions of
young boys who will never become real men because they have no values whatsoever,
they have no truth in their lives, and they have no regard for common decency And

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who is it that generally commits these evil acts of mass murder that are becoming
routine? Its almost always young men who have either no father figure in their lives, or a
broken relationship with their father. Is this just a coincidence? Of course not
(Jindal , 2015).
Music genres such as hip hop, and rap were born out of the Bronx, and were adopted first by
inner cities across America, then spread across the country (Jackson and Anderson). Rap music
took a very violent turn during the mid-1980s, where the most violent and also top selling
albums began production. This time period also coincides with the most violent period in recent
American History and also with the spike in mass incarceration.
Joan Petersilia, Professor at Law at Stanford University and Co-Director of the Stanford
Criminal Justice Center also attests to the soaring crime rate during this time period.
Soaring crime rates, especially in the inner cities, are the most obvious part of the
explanation. From 1960 to 1990, the overall U.S. crime rate increased more than fivefold,
the frequency of violent crime nearly quadrupled, and the murder rate doubled. Drug use
increased. The upsurge was widely blamed on lenient punishment, particularly for violent
repeat offenders. Legislatures responded by passing "get tough" measures, including
sentencing guidelines (which required prison sentences for some offenders who in the
past might have been put on probation), so-called three-strikes-and-you're-out laws
(which mandated prison terms for repeat offenders), mandatory minimum sentences
(forcing judges to impose fixed sentences regardless of mitigating factors), and truth-insentencing measures (requiring inmates to serve a greater proportion of their imposed
sentence before becoming eligible for parole). These policy changes increased both the

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probability of going to prison if convicted and the length of prison terms
(Petersilia , 2011).
Although violent crimes have died down as of recent, the effects of violent media on society and
culture are still alive. This increase in crime caused concern in the general public and in turn
politicians were able to appease their districts by pushing new laws to curb crimes.
issues of crime and drugs had registered as major concerns for Americans in opinion polls of
the late 1980s and early 1990s As recently as 1994, national political debate was focused
prominently on a $30 billion federal crime bill loaded with substantial financial incentives for
new state prison construction (Mauer , pg 50).

Many major politicians took pride in their stance on being tough on crime. This saber-rattling
further funded the incarceration bubble.
I can be nicked on a lot, but nobody can say Im soft on crime President Bill Clinton
The War on Drugs declared by President Richard Nixon in 1971, produced stringent laws which
helped law enforcement crack down on crime. Statistics clearly show that although it was
dubbed The War on Drugs, violent offenders have by far been the majority of the incarcerated
In 1984, the Sentencing Reform Act was unanimously passed in the House of Representatives
and the Senate, which created tougher sentencing laws for criminals.
With a generation of Americans exposed to media violence, and a swelling prison population that
must be released for the sake of humanity, what can we do?

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The first step we can take is to teach our children that violent media is a moral and cultural
menace. The First Amendment protects protects our right to free speech, and therefore it is very
difficult to bad media, regardless of how vile it may be.
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a California law banning the sale of violent
video games to children, saying it ran afoul of the First Amendment right to free speech.
In one of the most closely watched cases this term, in a 7-to-2 vote, the justices said
governments did not have the authority to "restrict the ideas to which children may be
exposed."
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento had ruled that the law violated
minors' rights under the First Amendment, and the high court agreed.
The California law would have prohibited the sale or rental of violent games to anyone
younger than 18. Retailers who violated the act would have been fined up to $1,000 for
each infraction (Johnson and AP).
Instead of having them zone out on video games, we can direct our children to positive
programming to help them understand their emotions. Head of the Department of
Communication at the University of Illinois, Barbara J. Wilson writes about the effects of
positive programming on children.
One early study found that regular viewing of Sesame Street helped preschoolers learn to
recognize emotions and emotional situations, though the preschoolers learned more about
traditional school-based content than they did about emotional content.9 In recent years,
Sesame Street has incorporated emotions and emotional coping into its curricular goals.

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Several storylines during the 1980s, for example, focused on birth, death, and marriage.
In 2001, a series of episodes focused on a hurricane that hit New York City and destroyed
Big Birds home. Big Bird and his friends spent considerable time dealing with this
emotional issue and rebuilding his nest Developmental psychologists and media
scholars alike have argued that screen media play a crucial role in childrens emotional
development (Wilson , pg 89)
It is recorded in the Book of Matthew that Jesus Christ advocated justice for all, including those
incarcerated. Helping those in need transcends party lines, and it is what makes us human and
worth saving.
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came
unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and
fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (The Holy
Bible, Matthew 25:36-40).
Although the crime rate is at an all-time low, our system of mass incarceration is still at an alltime high and states are getting it. One thing that Democrats and Republicans are agreeing on is
that the trend of mass incarceration must end. Both parties agree that it is the humane thing to
do, and also the more financially responsible thing to do.

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The various faith communities and organizations, those who lean right and left, have been
working in prisons for years. They have brought back to their allies that the news that our
present lock em up strategy is breaking up families and communities and not reducing
recidivism rates. (Blades and Norquist , pg 2)
Both Joan Petersilia and NASBO state the problems to come in regards to releasing inmates who
are unprepared to face civilian life.
Almost everyone who goes to prison ultimately returns home about 93 percent of
all offenders Although the average offender now spends 2.5 years behind bars, many
terms are shorter, with the result that 44 percent of all those now housed in state prisons
are expected to be released within the year. This year, some 750,000 men and women will
go home. Many if not most will be no better equipped to make successful, lawabiding lives for themselves than they were before they landed in prison
(Petersilia , 2011).
after decades of prison system expansion, states are beginning to enact and
implement corrections reforms to bring down the size of the inmate population by
seeking to reduce recidivism and directing resources to incarceration alternatives
(NASBO , 2013).
Dr. Lisa Firestone of PsychAlive.org speaks of how San Franciscos Manalive program has been
successful at teaching inmates calming techniques, so they are able to identify anger and stop it
before it gets out of hand. The Restorative Justice model in which prisoners are given
opportunities in society. This enables ex-convicts to have a purpose outside of crime that will
help them be an asset to society and help end their cycle of violence (Firestone , 2012).

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President Obama is working to promote a rehabilitation and reintegration plan for
convicts, and also special access to Federal Pell grants for educational programs
(NASBO , 2013).
As a Nation we have let ourselves forget the laws and mercy given to us by God. Instead of
being influenced by the word of God, many are drawn by the entertainment industry. Not only
does this lead us towards confusion, anger and hate, it also has dealt us a heart full of fear. This
fear enabled us to become the leading incarcerating nation in the world.
We must take a stand and remember the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Book of Luke:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lords favor
(The Holy Bible, Luke 4:19-21).
We can break this cycle of violence, and end the mass incarceration bubble we are facing.
Programs out there that can help. First we must contact out local legislator and demand that we
support local rehabilitation centers for ex-convicts. We must also have their rights reinstated, so
they can live as citizens of this country once again with dignity. They have made their
repentance, why must they suffer. To help, contact your local Reentry Program, for details, visit:
www.corrections2community.org

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Works Cited
AP. "Home Of Sandy Hook School Shooter Adam Lanza Is Demolished." 2015. Web.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/24/adam-lanza-homedemolished_n_6934312.html>.
Bates, Daniel and Helen Pow. "sandy Hook Shooter Adam Lanza." 2013. Web.
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516427/Sandy-Hook-shooter-Adam-Lanza83k-online-kills-massacre.html>.
Blades, Joan and Grover Norquist. "This is the One Thing the Right and Left Are Working
Together On In Congress." Time 7 May 2014. Web. <http://www.time.com>.
Firestone, Lisa. "7 Ways to Stop Violence at Every Age." Compassion Matters 1 Oct 2012. Web.
Jackson, Brenda and Sharon Anderson. "Hip Hop Culture Around the Globe: Implications for
Teaching." Black History Bulletin Spring 2009: 22-32.
Jindal, Bobby. "We fill Our Culture With Garbage, And We Reap The Result." 6 October 2015.
bobbyjindal.com. Web.
Johnson, Carrie and AP. "Court: California Can't Ban Violent Video Game Sales." 2011. Web.
<http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137446796/court-california-cant-ban-violent-videogame-sales>.

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Mauer, Marc. "State Sentencing Reforms: Is the "Get Tough" Era Coming to a Close?" Federal
Sentencing Reporter October 2002: 50-52. Web.
Petersilia, Joan. "Beyond the Prison Bubble." National Institute of Justice 268 (2011): 2. Web.
Philips, Chuck. Rap Defense Doesn't Stop Death Penalty : 'The music affected me,' says Ronald
Ray Howard. 'That's how it was that night I shot the trooper.'. Austin: LA Times, n.d.
Web. <http://articles.latimes.com/1993-07-15/entertainment/ca-13309_1_ronald-rayhoward>.
The National Association of State Budget Officers. "State Spending for Corrections: Long-Term
Trends and Recent Criminal Justice Policy Reforms." The National Association of State
Budget Officers, 2013. Web.
Wilson, Barbara J. "Media and Children's Aggression, Fear and Altruism." Future of Children
Spring 2008. Web.