Nagarajan - 1

Mrinalini Nagarajan
Zitta
ENGL101
16 November 2016
Annotated Bibliography
#1
Mass Incarceration in the US. Dir. Hank Green. YouTube. Vlogbrothers, 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 15
Nov. 2016.
Hank Green, major contributor to this YouTube video, starts his video by discussing the
messed up nature of the prison system in the United States of America. He also establishes
reasoning as to why there is a prison system in itself by stating that prison makes it so that
recidivism rates are lowered and punishments deter criminals themselves from committing
crimes and people around them from committing crimes. Corrections should be a major aspect of
prisons as todays prisoners are tomorrows neighbors and over the last decade the number of
people in prison has increased by 400% (Mass). Hank Green is a very trusted source for a lot of
research material and students rely on his videos as means of learning about things he has to say
(refer to all of his Crash Course videos in a variety of subjects), so his information is catered to
those who wish to learn a lot in a short period of time. However, for this reason, we do not
always get the full picture or complete information on we want regarding the topic of our
choosing. The audience may use his popular media platform video as a quick glance into the
nature of prisons and be able to understand that it truly does need reform.
#2
Why The U.S. Has More Prisoners Than Any Other Country. Perf. Jules Suzdaltsev. YouTube.
Seeker Daily, 13 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
According to this YouTube video published by Seeker Daily, in 2015, it was said that
6,000 prisoners were said to be released from prisons across the country as a way of dealing with
mass incarceration now that 1 in 100 American people are in jail or prison. During the early 70s,
President Reagan and President Nixon hounded down on drug abusers and began the war on
drugs leading to more people being incarcerated. Seeker Daily is not necessarily the most
credible source as they do not cite whatever information they are putting out to their audience

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and there is a clear bias towards putting the government in a not so good light as means of
appealing to their audience (i.e. the general YouTube viewers). Using this popular media source
alone is not a very good idea, but it sure does give information regarding the start of the war on
drugs, so using it as a supporting popular media source along with a scholarly article regarding
the war on drugs and its relation to overcrowding in prisons will help the audience gain a deeper
understanding of my topic.
#3
U.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2013. Digital image. The Sentencing Project.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. Prison Series, 05 May 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
This popular media source deals with a graph that the Bureau of Justice Statistics
released. The graph itself portrays the number of people in jails as the years go on. By the year
2013 (the last year on the shown on the graph), there were 1,516,879 people in prison, whereas
when the study was first conducted in 1925, there were less than 200,000 people behind bars.
Clearly, the growth in population in the world and policies put into place were the reason behind
the increased rate of people in prisons. For the most part, many people trust the Bureau of Justice
Statistics simply because they have established credibility over the course of the years based on
different surveys and research they conduct. A graph like this can help researchers numerically
understand the severity of the issue at hand (prison overcrowding) and aid audiences that need a
pictorial representation of the problem versus just looking at articles about the subject.
#4
Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York:
Penguin Random House LLC, 2015. Print.
Bryan Stevenson, an African-American defense lawyer from Montgomery, Alabama, in
his captivating novel includes heart-wrenching details regarding the prisoners and prison
conditions he encounters throughout his years of service. He also incorporates a series of
statistics that he collects as a researcher on the topic of the United States of Americas prison
systems. In his novel, Stevenson never fails to cite his sources regarding the statistics he includes
and his background of being a minority in this country that still remains stigmatized gave him a
unique sense of credibility from different members of society including those of higher-ranking

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social statuses than him or his poor family. His viewpoint of the criminal justice system is unique
in the sense that Stevenson believes that in order to fix any realm of societal problem, we must
believe in the power of proximity and dive in headfirst to any problem (including that of
overcrowding in prisons and how the fiscal budgets are affected by this issue. This academic
source packed valuable lessons to the audience that enables us to have a closer look from
someone inside the criminal justice system.
#5
Williams, Audrey. "Prison Overcrowding Threatens Public Safety and State
Budgets." American Legislative Exchange Council, 08 Apr. 2014. Web. 18
Oct. 2016.
Audrey Williams April 2014 article titled Prison Overcrowding Threatens Public Safety
and State Budgets regarding criminal justice reform highlights details of the problems of
overcrowding in prisons in the US. Williams effectively creates heightened awareness to the
growing incarceration rates and its effects through statistics, credible sources claiming the
severity of the issue and also by using emotionally charged diction that pertain to its general
public audience. This combination of strategies make this particular piece of writing a powerful
one that cultivates strong interest in the subject matter of the rise of prison populations and what
happens as a result of this. Since this article is published by someone who works for the
American Legislative Exchange Council, she holds a high-ranking position that already
establishes exigence. Moreover, the author implores multiple rhetorical strategies that hook, as
well as, educate her audience. However, since Williams is a government worker, some of what
she says could be biased and in favor of governmental policies. For the stakeholder regarding the
views of government, this academic source is extremely useful.