...African-American Males, Incarceration and Structural African-American Males, Incarceration and Structural Inequality Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment or as many would like to state forms of rehabilitation. With that being the case, the United States, while being considered one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world boasts the highest “rehabilitation” rate in the world. The staggering part remains that not only do we have the highest prison population but our incarceration rate continues to grow as our creativity or desire to solve this problem continues to stagnate. One of the major issues when researching incarceration rates is the obvious elevated rate of young African-American males that are sentenced. While the percentage of African-American incarcerated males is extremely high the length of their sentences are shockingly elevated compared to the majority of population in the United States. “One in every nine African-American males aged 25-29 were in prison or jail in 2009, compared to one in twenty-seven Latino males and one in sixty white males in the same age group, according to the Sentencing Project”. ("State of Young America," 2009, para. 11) The question currently being dealt with in the United States is how do we accommodate all of these prisoners? Our countries answer has been quite simple, to build more prisons or as some would sugarcoat it, “rehabilitation facilities”. The correct question...
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...Minority Inmates in American Prisons Noreen Harman ENG122: English Composition II Instructor January Pearson July 7, 2014 There is a disparate rate of minorities in the American prison system currently. I will present evidence from scholarly resources proving that the reason why the minority population is so high is due to racial profiling. The judicial system imposes stricter and longer prison terms on minorities because of their culture. Blacks are about eight times more likely to go to prison than whites, which dwarfs black-white disparities in, for example, unemployment rates (2-to -1 disparity), infant mortality (2-to -1 disparity), and out of wedlock births (3-to-1 disparity). L.J. Geo (2010). African American and Hispanic offenders were more likely than whites to be sentenced to prison, especially if they were male, young and unemployed, S. Spohn (2000). Even though there may be a high rate of minority crimes being committed, I believe the reason for having so many minorities in prison is due to the current judicial system stereo typing. In the article Rethinking Drug Courts: Restorative Justice as a Response to Racial Injustice, it talks about the rate of drug crimes committed by minority and longer sentences imposed to blacks and Hispanics. Drug court offers offenders the opportunity to not do time in prison and get court supervised treatment instead. This is beneficial to the families of minorities so they can keep working and providing...
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...insight into how American prisons have a disparity toward the minority population. Is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates? The Judicial System has a major affect about the way they look at Minorities and the crimes that they commit, but is the Judicial System just being racist about the differences if they commit a crime and if Americans commit them. The real question is what is the difference and why are our prisons having a disparity of minority inmates. American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population. Because the high rate of inmates, all individuals can commit the same crimes, and is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates. They say that minorities get treated differently because of the color of their skin and that can be true. They also say that the judicial system also treats those with different back grounds and different colored skin differently than Americans. Where does this come from? You still hear it in today’s society where an African American will get in trouble and all they have to say about it is that you are only doing this because I am black. The judicial system has a hard job to do when it comes determining punishments for crimes for crimes that are committed and putting individuals in prison for serious crimes they do commit. There are some points that make this to seem true, but that is why I am writing to make...
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...Minorities in Prison, Why So Many? Jennifer A. Spry ENG 122: English Composition II Ava Hardiek January 7, 2013 Minorities in Prison, Why So Many? Introduction Racism has been a part of history for many years and is a very real problem in the world, not just in the United States. For example, New England colonists fled to a new land, later to be known as America, for religious freedom from European dictators, early settlers of the United States enslaved African-Americans, Adolf Hitler murdered millions of Jewish people, and Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists destroyed the World Trade Towers killing thousands. In the United States, before the Civil rights movement, African-Americans were severely discriminated against. They were not allowed into certain restaurants, they were given restrooms and water fountains that were only used by “colored people”, and they were forced to sit in the back of the bus. Schools and neighborhoods were segregated and interracial relationships were forbidden. Racism was considered socially acceptable and the judicial system upheld arrests and convictions of those that did not conform to the laws. It was impossible for a person of color to receive a fair trial. Today the judicial system is designed to punish criminals for the crime not their minority status, but the truth can still be twisted by racism. Some people argue that the law is flawed and the courts are biased because we are judged by a group of people who are randomly selected to decide...
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...Why is the Incarceration Rate in the US so high? The United States has about 300 million residents, about 5 percent of the total world’s population, but the prisons in the United States account for 25 percent of the world’s inmates. This statistic gives the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world with 743 of every 100,000 people behind bars (Levin 2013). On the other hand, Canada, our northern neighbor only has 113 per 100,000 of its citizens in prison (Levin 2013). So the question is, what really is behind the high incarceration rate in the United States? The difference is substantial and cannot be ignored; the incarceration rate in the U.S. is nearly 6.5 times larger. This is a staggering statistic and begins to raise some valid concerns, could it be that the United States court system is structured in a way that unfairly treats criminals? Or could it be that people in the United States just commit more crimes per capita than the rest of the world? The latter doesn’t seem like a plausible explanation, the United States and Canada are so similar it almost seems unrealistic to assume that the crime disparity could be so wide. That leaves us with the idea that the United States court systems unfairly treats criminals or just treats criminals harsher than any other developed country in the world. This thought is certainly very frightening and should be a concern for every United States citizen. Even though most people are good, law-abiding citizens, sometimes...
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...for granted. If any American makes a total of $23,050 of a total yearly income with a family of four then they are classified as poor. Between the ages of 25 to about 75 most Americans will spend at least a year in poverty. Statistics from 2012 have stated more then 16% of the United States poopulation live in poverty, which includes more then 20% of American children. Statisically, the poverty rate is much higher with minorities in the United States, especially in African Americans. The poverty rate for African Americans was at 28.1% which is very high. Also, African Americans also remain the lowest of any group making the lowest income yearly. Sadly, race between all minorities plays a big a part why any minority would be in poverty. African Americans and other minorities such as Hispanics are more subject to racial discrimination and hate crimes then any other ethic group. Although they are other factors into why minorities statistically are the biggest group of people in poverty, race plays a big part in it. They have been progress since the Civil War from an individual standpoint but the imbalance between a minority and the white american, specifically in the economic area still is tenacious. Among African American students and other ethic groups that don’t have the privilege to grow up in a nice wealthy area with great schools and a school system that can provide the proper materials and books for school are more subject to dropping out of high school and more then...
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...percent of all African American men between ages 25 to 29 were incarcerated, as compared to 2.4 percent of Hispanic men and 1.2 percent of Non-Hispanic White men. What is going on here? Why are Black men in this age group so much more likely to be in jail than are people of White or Latino descent? Research the incidents of criminal prosecution, convictions, prison sentences, and time served by race and ethnicity for all three – African American, Hispanic, and White men. What factors or variables are associated with who gets involved in crime, why, and what happens to them in the criminal justice system? Also look into how many judges, lawyers, and lawmakers are White compared with those who are African American. What does this tell us about structured inequality? Topic Proposal I chose this topic because this because this is the normal scenario in my hometown that is has a similar meaning to my city. During the years I grew up here in Augusta, GA. I felt that African American men have a huge structure of inequality compared to White or Latino descent. This topic is important to cultural diversity because it talks about African Americans, Latinos, and White. Majority of America has a big diversity of African Americans, Latinos, and Whites that we see and work with every day. Learning about these major cultures makes a big impact of diversity and how to handle and notice different cultures. I want to research this topic to find out why there is so many black men are...
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...Criminolgy Fall 2013 3 Major Sources of Crime Data Uniform Crime Report Officially reported crime Counts the # of offences known to police . (Doesn’t count the onest that are not reported (For example, Police Arrests) Crimes Reported Voluntary Participation Self Report UCR Part I Violent Crimes: Homicide, aggravated assault, property crimes, larceny, theft “serious crimes” Sean.007@umb.edu 9/10/13 Risk and Personal Safety Crime isn’t exploding The polls say it’s America’s #1 concern , new prisons, longer sentences. Film: Are we scaring ourselves to Death? What are some of the crime myths identified in the film. Crime Surge Particulary violent crime Old, white, women as victims of crime Stranger homicide Violenct Crime Facts National Commission on the causes and prevention of Violence Primarily an urban phenomenon Offenders are primarily males, youth ages 15-24 years minority, low SES individuals - Victims “...” Perpertartors are most likely to be acquantances Primarily committed by repeat offenders 6% for between 53% and 71% of violent crime. What year was this report published? 1969. Victimolgy Emergence: 1940’s Hans Von Hentig First person to really bring the idea of victim’s role in criminal events Victims precipitaton - idea that the victim brings on the criminal act Who is more likely to be victimized Victim- Offender Link Likelihood of vicitimization ...
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...Justice System July 25, 2013 Black Injustice Today African Americans are still being harassed by the criminal justice system, in a way where the color of their skin may have a disadvantage of their portrayal to law enforcements. Many African Americans have not been receiving the justice they deserve, because they are still people who judged them based on the history of slavery in the nation. They are treated unfair in a country where they based their government off a constitution as the Supreme Law and Declaration of Independence which states “All men are created equal.” But in that simple quote, based on how our society has yet to overcome racism, the country is a place where “All men are created equal” really means “all white men are created equal.” The criminal justice system in the United States tries to portray a fair criminal justice system, but fail to treat everyone equally. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term justice is define as “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments”, which in a simplified term means that people get what they deserve. They are many cases where African Americans don’t receive the justice they deserve compared to the whites who have an advantage in the criminal justice because of the white supremacy that the nation still portrays. African Americans have been treated unfairly even after slavery ended. One of...
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...In Heather MacDonald’s article “Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race: The New York Times Is at It Again” she alludes that the New York Times is not keeping the public informed of crime rates. Instead, the Times is more interested with “giving specific racial breakdowns of every aspect of police behavior”(MacDonald). She feels that the New York City Police Department is unable to do their job without having to face allegations of racial disparity. Ms. MacDonald indicates that the reason crime rates are higher amongst minorities than whites is not because of racial prejudices. She says it’s because the vast majority of crimes occur in minority neighborhoods by minority criminals against minority victims. Therefore, this drives police officers to those areas to arrest the individuals committing crimes. In 1994, under the New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the proactive policing revolution began. The idea was to remain visible in so called hot spot areas to help prevent crime from occurring. This gave police officers the authority to question anyone that appeared suspicious. According to MacDonald, due to the implementation of this policy “over 10,000 black and Hispanic males are alive today who would have been dead,” but this type of information does not make front page news. It appears that information concerning the positives associated with proactive policing is another issue Ms. MacDonald feels is not being reported...
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...Excessive gun control laws will not prevent crimes and accidents involving firearms. Gun control advocates are attempting to allow more gun control laws to be enforced due to school shootings and other gun involved crimes; however, gun control laws will not prevent these catastrophes. Criminals will break the law despite the fact that there are laws to prevent them from doing so. Furthermore, guns have been around for ages, and have always been a useful tool for the settlers, armies, and people that are in danger. Guns protect the average gun owning citizen from intruders into their home and also their country. Gun control laws are not going to prevent criminals from killing or committing more crimes with firearms; therefore, the average American should be permitted to own firearms to protect themselves and their families from harm's way. More gun control is not needed, education about guns and gun safety is necessary to prevent accidental gun deaths. Statistically ever since people have been taking more firearm courses the accident rate has went down tremendously; for example, since 1930 ,when gun safety courses became popular, the annual number of firearm accident deaths has decreased 81%, while the U.S. population has more than doubled and the...
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...Violent and Non-Violent Crime in Miami (2008-2010) Chanaay Thomas American InterContinental University Abstract This paper discusses the crime rates and trend for Miami-Dade County for the years of 2008-2010. The criminal activity during these years is significantly high and can be directly related to the laying off of 150 police officers. Among the most surprising rates is the surprisingly high rate of motor vehicle thefts in the aforementioned years. What will be talked in this paper is recommendations of what can be done to prevent such crimes from happening and career interests that stem from these statistics. Analyzing Violent and Non-Violent Crimes in Miami-Dade (2008-2010) Source: MDPD Crime Data Warehouse A pattern that is clearly obvious for the city of Miami is that given these three years listed, it can be considered a very dangerous place. Murders remain very stagnant in the area while other crimes were on the rise. I also noticed, since being from Miami I understand that the city is a very “flashy” and “show-off” city, which is probably why so many vehicle thefts happened. By this, I mean people in Miami love to have the latest car or fix up the cars very nicely which can attract unfortunately negative attention to them. While being proud of your vehicle is not cause for theft, it is mainly the reason for these thefts. The murder rate however did surprise me. As undesirable as this may sound, I expected a higher murder rate. When that is all you hear...
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...In Heather MacDonald’s article “Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race: The New York Times Is at It Again” she alludes that the New York Times is not keeping the public informed of crime rates. Instead, the Times is more interested with “giving specific racial breakdowns of every aspect of police behavior”(MacDonald). She feels that the New York City Police Department is unable to do their job without having to face allegations of racial disparity. Ms. MacDonald indicates that the reason crime rates are higher amongst minorities than whites is not because of racial prejudices. She says it’s because the vast majority of crimes occur in minority neighborhoods by minority criminals against minority victims. Therefore, this drives police officers to those areas to arrest the individuals committing crimes. In 1994, under the New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the proactive policing revolution began. The idea was to remain visible in so called hot spot areas to help prevent crime from occurring. This gave police officers the authority to question anyone that appeared suspicious. According to MacDonald, due to the implementation of this policy “over 10,000 black and Hispanic males are alive today who would have been dead,” but this type of information does not make front page news. It appears that information concerning the positives associated with proactive policing is another issue Ms. MacDonald feels is not being reported...
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...The Injustice of Being Impoverished The US Office of Management and Budget lists the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four as $21,203, for a family of 3 at $16,530, 2 at $13,540, and 1 at $10,590. Shamefully, there are many American families who must survive on much less. Should this mean that these families are the number one suspects each time there is a crime committed in or around their communities? The connection between poverty and crime has been a controversial object of debate for years and continues to be today. There have been arguments by scholars for both sides of the spectrum. Some feel that those who fall victim of continuous hard times with little hope for help or change would eventually turn to a life of crime to obtain their necessities for survival. My own feelings are that although many were born and raised in poverty, they were reared with integrity and morals and may choose to live their lives as law-abiding citizens. Whatever essentials they can afford they would come by honestly and whatever they cannot afford, they accept living without. But what happens when victims of poverty become suspects of crimes and need court representation? According to the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution, the accused is guaranteed the right to a lawyer at all important stages of the criminal process. America has an adversary system of justice. A trial is a contest between the prosecutor, who represents the state, and the defense attorney...
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...the actions go against what are considered the norms of the group. Is a group of cannibals in the South American jungle eating fellow human beings considered deviant behavior? Is kissing your loved one in a public place to show affection considered deviant behavior? What about a person laying down a small rug and praying wherever they are at certain times throughout the day. There is no definite answer to the questions previously posed. Deviant behavior is a part of every society, but is it a necessary part of society and what causes it? There are many theories on what may cause deviance, but no single one is correct. This deviant and criminal behavior is what led to the emergence of certain laws, and it is these laws that govern the punishment for the crime. Felony crimes in the United States can range from murder to burglary, both come with penalties of imprisonment. There are four main goals of imprisonment, one of which is rehabilitation. The statistics show that this goal of rehabilitation is not being achieved because inmates being released have a high rate of committing a crime within three years. Is imprisonment the proper punishment for certain crimes? I pose the following questions for discussion: What makes for deviant behavior and what are the theories behind deviance? What type of crimes exist in the United States? What parts of the court and prison system are effective, and which ...
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