...This is due to a long history of the United States of America’s war on drugs and its negative effects within underserved communities. Prior to the government’s pursuit against drug use, “many currently illegal drugs, such as marijuana, opium, coca, and psychedelics have been used for thousands of years for both medical and spiritual purposes” (Drug Policy Alliance). However, after certain drugs became associated with particular minority racial demographics, drugs gradually became criminalized. The Drug Policy Alliance, a group of advocates pushing for advanced drug policies, states that, “The first anti-opium laws in the 1870s were directed at Chinese immigrants. The first anti-cocaine laws, in the South in the early 1900s, were directed at black men. The first anti-marijuana laws, in the Midwest and the Southwest in the 1910s and 20s, were directed at Mexican migrants and Mexican Americans.” A large amount of the drug laws that are still in place today were initially established based less on science and testing and more on disparaging communities of people of color. This was displayed in the mid- 20th century when U.S. lawmakers stated that the term, marijuana, was Mexican slang for cannabis and enacted a ban on the drug that was laden with racist anti-Mexican rhetoric (About News). This type of bias criminalization was also demonstrated...
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...incarcerated (Prison Policy Initiative 2016) has a significant impact on many aspects of American society when viewed through the social and cultural lens including the psychological impact of incarceration, varying treatment based on race, and post-incarceration results. Based on the analysis of various positions of experts in the field, it is clear that certain policy reforms in the existing system would be beneficial for the incarcerated and the broader society. When comparing the scale of incarceration and other related metrics in the United States...
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...Racial Disparities in the U.S. Prison Population: Causes, Effects and Remedies Michael C. Pugh Bethel University Introduction America’s war on drugs has contributed to a steady influx of non-violent offenders into the nation’s judicial system for over thirty years. Many of these inmates are serving long sentences with rigid probation and parole policies that many believe are designed as a set-up for failure and re-offense. The result of this influx of offenders is a growing racial disparity, as shown by Bobo & Thompson: In 2004. for example, black males constituted 43.3 percent of those incarcerated in state, federal, and local prisons or jails, though only 13 percent of the total population. Whites on the other hand represented 35.7 percent of the male inmate population in 2004, well under their 75 percent of the total male population (Bobo & Thompson, 2006). (p. 451) This ballooning disparity has become a trend of increasing concern among proponents of racial equality. Many view this trend as another cog in the wheel of covert institutional racism, even labeling it “The New Jim Crow”. Among the men and women of color now residing in U.S. prisons are the potential business owners, educators and leaders of communities that sorely need them. Immediate and results-oriented attention to the racial disparity in U.S. prisons will do much to repair the damaged, needful communities of color throughout the country. BLACK CRIME: CRIMINAL OR CULTURAL? “Black...
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...Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," reports there are more African American men in prison and jail, or on probation and parole, than were slaves before the start of the Civil War. Statistics reported in 2006, by the U.S .Department of Justice, Bureau of Statistics support this claim, which show that Blacks made up 41 percent of the nation’s 2 million prison and jail inmates, while Non-Hispanic whites made up 37 percent and Hispanics made up 19 percent. The disproportionate ratio of blacks to whites who are incarcerated is especially great in Iowa, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota – greater than 10-to-1 (USJB, 2006). Why this structural inequality towards African Americans is happening, why it matters, and suggestions to rectify this, are issues that are discussed in this paper. Why is this happening? Since 1970, the U.S. has experienced a large and rapid increase in the rate at which people, regardless of race, are housed in federal and state correctional facilities (Snyder, 2011). This rapid growth in the prison population has been attributed in a large part to the rate at which individuals are incarcerated for drug offenses, especially minorities (Snyder, 2011). Between1995 and 2003, the number of people in state and federal prisons incarcerated for drug offenses increased by 21 percent, from 280,182 to 337,872.3 (McVay, D., Schiraldi, V., & Ziedenberg, J, 2007). From1996...
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... Abstract Racial disparities in corrections measured by the black to white per capita incarceration rates vary from state to state, This paper will analyze the current trends and the impact incarceration has on communities of color and how criminal justice policy and practice plays a role in this. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, out of a total population of 1,976,019 incarcerated in adult facilities, 1,239,946 or 63 percent are black or Latino, though these two groups constitute only 25 percent of the national population. Some of the greatest racial disparities in rates of incarceration happen in states in which minorities are massed in urban areas, which tend to have both higher rates of crime and greater law enforcement activity. This paper will also discuss how these incarcerations affect the offenders, public safety, criminal policies and procedures. Racial Disparities in Corrections There are many factors regarding the disproportional rates of incarceration in communities of color. Data generated by the U.S. Department of Justice predicts that if current trends continue, one out of every three black males born today will go to prison in his lifetime, as well as one of every six Latino males. The rates of incarceration for women overall are lower than for men, but similar racial/ethnic disparities still apply. Some law makers are looking at ways to develop policies and practices...
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...drug policy unfairly targets communities of color, keeping millions of young, black men in a cycle of poverty and behind bars. The book begins by challenging claims that racism is dead. Those who believe that full equality been achieved would do well to notice many African Americans' reality today. An extraordinary amount of blacks are still barred from voting because in nearly every state, as convicted felons cannot vote. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans have served time in prison as a result of drug convictions and are branded felons for life. Voting is also barred for those currently incarcerated. Alexander uncovers the system of mass incarceration: a system comprised of laws, rules, policies, and customs that control criminals both in and out of prison. The greatest instigator of mass incarceration is the War on Drugs. Rather than combat drug activity, the War on Drugs has served as a deliberate strategy to control people of color and remove them from the political process, which is racist in both application and design. Alexander suggests that the War on Drugs and mass incarceration constitute a "rebirth of caste" in America. Beginning with slavery and continuing with Jim Crow segregation, mass incarceration places entire groups of people into discriminatory positions in society, permanently. The War on Drugs began in earnest in the mid-1980s, training local law enforcement agencies with the means to increase crackdowns on communities in search of drugs. Alexander...
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...disproportion is socioeconomic status, prejudices within the criminal justice system and power investments. Massive Incarceration: A Racial Perspective Introduction Today the US makes up for about 5% of the world’s population and carries 25% of the world’s prisoners, this 20% difference shows that the US imprisons more people then actually living in the country (NAACP, 2015). This is the highest prison population when compared to other countries. Records show from 1980 to 2008, the number of individuals that have been incarcerated has quadrupled from 500,000 to 2.3 million (NAACP, 2015). During that time frame crime & poverty rates have also increased dramatically, while unemployment & educational reading and test scores have declined. This is a major issues that congress and national leaders are trying to combat and improve upon. However, when looking at the amount of individuals within the correctional system, are these leaders really doing what they were appointed to do or just masking the problem. According to the NAACP, when combining the number of people in prison and jail with...
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...and how it correlates to the misconception that drug abuse and drug dealing activity is more prevalent among African American males in this age group. Another factor to be addressed is how society has victimized the black man in the “get tough on crime” and the “war on drug” movements. And finally, this paper will address how continued discrimination affects peoples’ ability to change. Race and Imprisonment in the United States Statistics show that African-American men make up 13.6 percent of the U.S. population and 40.2 percent of the U.S. prison population. Even though rates of drug use and selling are similar across the races, people of color are far more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated for drug law violations than are whites. Michelle Alexander, the author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," wrote “ there are more African American men in prison and jail, or on probation and parole, than were slaves before the start of the Civil War” (Alexander, 2012, p. 118). Some blame the ‘war on drugs’ movement; others say it’s the ‘get tough on crime’ movement that is purposefully focusing on low...
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...100-02 Basak Durgun Nov. 2. 2015 The prison industrial complex is a system created by private businesses in order to expand prisons and profit by increasing the number of people who are jailed in their prisons. It’s a system in which there is little to no care for the rights of prisoners or their rehabilitation rather the entire purpose is to make as much money as possible. In order for the prison industrial system to be successful there is a need for a steady supply of prisoners. These prisoners usually tend to be lower income minorities who can be easily taken advantage of and jailed without being able to defend their rights. In order to advocate for and protect the rights of minorities and women, feminists in the prison abolitionist’s movement have taken a stand to call for an end to the expansion of prisons for profit. One major problem with the prison industrial complex is that it takes advantage of minority groups in society who aren’t able to defend their rights properly. These groups are usually stuck in poor communities in which they usually find themselves missing necessary supplies or services in order to thrive and survive. These people are also grossly undereducated due to the lack of funds being provided for their schools or their communities. As a result many of them end up feeling like they have to commit crimes in order to attain a better living situation or to survive in their communities. The people who support the prison industrial complex realize that the...
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...woman, and even children. A good amount of the crime in several communities around the U.S. is victimized by the gang related activity. Gang activity is higher in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Arizona and New York, with more than half of all homicides thought to be gang related homicides (Muhlhausen, 2007). Overall organized crime is anywhere and everywhere; this is a very difficult area for law enforcement to keep control over, a non ending battle against something that will always gain new members. These new members join for many reasons and come from many backgrounds, mainly from distress and un-oriented families. The word “Gang” at one point in time was only used to describe a group of people, now days the word “Gang” is associated with negative groups who commit crime and violence. A street gang is “an association of individuals who have a gang name and recognizable symbols, a geographic territory, a regular meeting pattern, and an organized, continuous course of criminality” (Kenneth J. Peak, 2009). When you walk out of your home, the last thing you want to have on your mind is that something bad might happen to you. Unfortunately in some parts of the country this is the reality for some, people go out in fear of being robbed, raped, and even being victims of murder. In many areas throughout the country, wearing certain colors in certain neighborhood can cause you your life. If you wear a certain color that...
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...try to accomplish my research on is: Does the prison system help or hurt urban communities? This has always been a question that I have been interested in. I do believe that when you commit a crime you should have some type of punishment. But I have always wondered if this helps or hurt the urban communities. I say this because yes the prison system is supposed to rehabilitate inmates. They have several programs for inmates such as educational programs, programs that teach inmates trades and different ministry for finding a religion. But “cities have more poor people, more people of color, and higher crime rates than suburban and rural areas; thus, urban populations are overrepresented in the nation's jails and prisons. As a result, US incarceration policies and programs have a disproportionate impact on urban communities, especially black and Latino ones.” (Program in Urban Public Health, 2014) With the urban community have higher crime rates this mean more people from urban communities are being put in prison. This effects the community because now kids have to grow up without fathers. “Together, African American and Hispanics comprised 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population.” (NAACP, 2014). One in six black men had been incarcerated as of 2001. If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime. (NAACP, 2014) With this...
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...A person with positive experiences in school and home along with the help he or she needs to succeed, he or she will avoid the school-to-prison pipeline and lead a more productive life. Whereas, a person with poor experiences in one or both environments and with little to no help needed to succeed, one might fall into the school-to-prison pipeline and not reach his or her full potential. Some examples of poor experiences include being seen as a bad kid (whether it be because of a learning difference or background), struggling because of the lack of help or misused resources, falling into the wrong crowds, and many more. The lack or poor use of support and our biases...
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...Crime statistics and incarceration rates reveal that young African American men are prosecuted and imprisoned at higher rates than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts. Although the total number of incarcerations by race does not vary significantly, the age of prisoners by race is meaningful. In December 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice statistics for sentenced male prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction totaled 1,537,415. Broken down by race, African American lacks totaled 555,300 prisoners with Whites totaling 465,100 and Hispanics 331,500. As the assignment scenario noted, in 2003 there was disparity between the incarceration rates for males aged 25-29 among races. As of 2011, rates for the same age group do not show as wide of a gap. In 2011, White males ages 25 to 29 comprised 14.4 percent of incarcerated males compared to 16.5 percent African American lacks and 18.8 percent Hispanics. The statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice for 2011 show that, “More than half (52%) of white male prisoners were age 39 or younger, compared to 63% of black and 68% of Hispanic male prisoners.” There remains disparity when age is factored into the incarceration rates with eleven percent more Blacks and sixteen percent more Hispanics incarcerated than Whites for those 39 and younger. In addition, one must consider that African Americans have higher rates of arrest, conviction, and incarceration when they total a minority number in the population. When evaluating...
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...COMMON THEMES BY: SITALA Tuesday, April 2, 13 COMMON THEMES ✤ JUSTICE/INJUSTICE : quality of being fair or reasonable/lack of fairness FREEDOM: power to act, speak or think as one wants ✤ Tuesday, April 2, 13 JUSTICE/INJUSTICE In The Death and the Maiden, Paulina Escobar is a young student in the early days of the military dictatorship that ruled her country when she was unjustly arrested by the government which altered her life continues to affect her seventeen years later. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he was unjustly convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover Tuesday, April 2, 13 In The Death and the Maiden, Paulina was unjustly raped and tortured by The torturer who was the doctor in military abductees. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy was unjustly assaulted and raped by both guards and other prisoners, The "sisters" , for two years. Tuesday, April 2, 13 In The Death and the Maiden, Paulina wants to do justice by herself, she doesn't listen to her husband who tells her that now there is a commission to solve all these problems She throughly believes that In The Shawshank Redemption, someone needs to be punished for Andy fight back the sisters to what happened to her , So She receive the justice he deserves, kidnaped Dr. Roberto Miranda. Andy then receive justice from the guards.The sisters get assaulted themselves...
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...Minority Inmates in Today’s Prisons Sherry Atkinson Eng. 122 Instructor: Susan Turner-Conlon November 25, 2013 (1) Our American prisons have an enormous amount of African American inmates. With crime not being racist you have to wonder, is this due to higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which our judicial system works as far the sentencing of, black men and women. Even though sentencing guidelines were established over a decade ago, and, it brought about uniformity to punishments the statistics prove that the sentencing of African Americans is unfairly done. From being a part of our corrections system at one time in my life, I know that just having any type of criminal record is a green light for the authorities to look at you differently. So I can’t imagine also having the stigma of being a minority also. Does that sound raciest? I am sure it probably does but stating from various sources racism is more evident than ever in the correctional system today. According to Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project and David Cole, a Georgetown Law Professor, although white and African Americans use and sell drugs at about the same rate, black men in 2003 were almost 12 times as likely to go to prison as white men. (Washington Post, June, 2011) Another point to make is the way our communities are policed. I being a white female and up until I was 42 had never really driven in the projects of the city. I on the other hand lived in a country...
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