Link- (article is a 2.5 minute video)
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/404890/prison-inherited-trait/
In this video from The Atlantic, Bruce Western argues that mass incarceration is a relatively new phenomenon and that today "we are no longer incarcerating the individual, but we're incarcerating whole social groups". The video shows that African Americans are incarcerated around twice as much as Latinos, and 6 times as much as Whites. Incarceration rates have grown 5 times as high since the 1970's and we incarcerate more than any other country in the world, about 5 times as much as the UK. Western also states that there is a 70% chance that a black male under 35 who dropped out of high school has been incarcerated, making it a "normal life event", and this has really only happened in about the last ten years. About one in nine African American children has an incarcerated parent. He ends the video claiming that ultimately the problem is that we have chosen incarceration to deal with crime, and that "we have chosen the response[to crime] of the deprivation of liberty for a historically aggrieved group whose liberty in the United States was never firmly established."
Is mass incarceration today's institutionalized racism? As it is relatively new ("last ten years"), is America becoming more racist? Crime is also highly correlated to economic problems, mental health issues, and drug addiction- Are we criminalizing social issues? Is putting people in prison the appropriate response to crimes (even if they are related to things such addiction, mental health and unemployment), or are there better ways to respond to these problems?
I saw Angela Davis speak about the prison industrial complex in 1997. This problem has progressively mushroomed. At least it has become mainstream to speak openly against the current system. Numerous law enforcement officials recently called for reform, as has Obama with increasing conviction. The effects of mass incarceration will linger.
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely complicated problem, but one that is quire prevalent in American society. Over the past 40 years Americans incarceration rate has grown over 700%, and in addition to this each person sent to jail costing around 40 thousand dollars. This comes straight out of citizens' pockets. Moreover, about 700 citizens go to jail per every 100,00 citizens where the average for other countries is about 150-200. Next, In china the number of incarcerated is 1.7 Million. In the US it is 2.3. China has 4x the population and 3/4 of the people in jail, this should not happen. What makes this even worse is as max said, the majority are non-white citizens. I feel that yes it is still a form of institutionalized racism and is correlated to economic problems. Another thing to notice is that many young people are thrown into jail as well. Putting people in jail is expensive and wrong. I feel that there should be less emphasis on jail. I do not know how to fix these situations, but it is a very large problem that needs addressing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the mass incarceration of African Americans is todays form of de facto segregation. It is no coincidence that there are six times as many black people in prison than whites. I believe that the reason for this is that law enforcement and the criminal justice system in general is more sympathetic towards Whites than blacks, in terms of extent and duration of their punishments. The only way to solve this problem is to make crimes typical of the lower social classes less harsh. For example, possession of Cocaine, a more expensive drug, is a much less harsh punishment than possession of Crack. Crack is most commonly used in lower class neighborhoods, and the punishment for having it is much more severe than cocaine. Only when these glaring criminal justice inequalities are addressed can there be justice in the incarceration system.
ReplyDeleteI think that incarceration isn't intentionally institutionalized segregation, but it happens to be that way. I think that America has always been this racist, but it has been seen in different ways. America has a much higher incarceration rate compared to other countries. Other countries probably have about the same level of illegal actions taking place, but are dealing with people indifferent ways. I think America has resorted to placing anyone and everyone in solitary confinement no matter the circumstance. This isn't helping those with mental health issues as well as addiction. These types of people need to receive proper health in order to move in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteThis mass incarceration phenomenon is a form of institutionalized segregation, but not an intentional one as it is a result of our subconscious (or suppressed) prejudices. America is not becoming more racist, we have always have racist tendencies that have manifested themselves in different aspects of society. We no longer blatantly have de jure segregation, rather we have more subtle de facto segregation in forms such as incarceration rates. I think that arresting people is a logical response to crime - what other kind of punishment could be used? Clearly, we need to work to restructure how society deals with unemployment, addiction, mental illness, etc, but if we don't offer punishments for crimes, what will come to society? Nothing good. I think perhaps modifying the severity of the sentences of crimes would be beneficial and having more programs to offer assistance in rebuilding lives and careers after being released would help this issue. However, at the root of the issue is the racist tendencies that America has, which is nearly impossible to eradicate.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the statistics stated above regarding the mass incarnation of African Americans is no coincidence. Unfortunately, low income families tend to result to crime due to struggling financial situations; and coincidently, most of these low income families are African Americans and Latinos. To answer the question of whether or not the US has become more racist, I believe that the US has maintained how racist it is because in the most recent years there have been issues regarding race and incarnation. One way we can fix this is by funding programs that encourage students to finish high school and even purse education beyond high school. By doing this, we can fight the “70% chance black male under 35 dropping out of high school being incarcerated” statistic.
ReplyDeleteThe over population in jail, for the most part, isn't the polices fault, it's the people. Government, and police are constantly bashed for over population, but they're doing their jobs. If you're in jail you're there for a reason
ReplyDeleteI think that mass incarceration, today, is reflective of institutionalized racism. Although it is not blatantly obvious, or written anywhere as a law, minorities face harsher penalties than white people. In some ways, American has become more racist and in other ways, we have become far less racist as a nation. For example, America has come a long way from enslaving people and "Jim Crow" law. But, there are still harsh stereotypes against minorities that translate into job inequalities, longer prison sentencing, and even police brutality.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order to stop these "crimes" there should be more social programs and government run programs to help these people, instead of putting them in prison and hoping that will make a difference.
I think mass incarceration is institutionalized racism, however, I think it happens to be unintentional. I think the racism this country has is so deeply built into its society that those biases and prejudices unconsciously show. I do not believe we are becoming more racist, but rather it is begin to come more to our intention because of the number of efforts to end racist in the recent years. I think for a period of time racism was not in the spotlight or addressed as much as it is in recent years, so these incidents are becoming more prevalent in the news and to the public.
ReplyDeleteMass incarceration is institutionalized racism. I do believe that racist ideals and stereotypes were so prevalent in the past and may not be improving today. It's no coincidence that more blacks are being incarcerated over whites and because it's more common for blacks to have a family member in prison or be unemployed,police officers are not showing much empathy. Putting people in prison, especially those that are mentally unstable or are unemplyed are not benefiting them in any way. Additionally, in a study by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, black people are 2.5 times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement, potentially worsening their mental stability due to the long periods of time alone in a dark cell.
ReplyDeleteMass incarceration is institutionalized racism because there is large percent of the population in jail that is considered a minority. This might be more publicized now, but I believe that this has been an ongoing trend. I believe that there a big gap between the social and economic classes which could be part of the racism that this country has been dealing with. As of now, prison is not the best place to hold these people. I think that putting these people in prison would be acceptable if there were better programs that would offer them the opportunity to change rather than keep them away from the public for a few years.
ReplyDeleteMass incarceration is most definitely institutionalized racism. When we see statistics such as the fact that an African American male under the age of the 35 who has dropped out of high school having a 70% he has gone to jail, there must be a bigger problem at hand than just crime. These numbers, in my opinion, clearly show that something just isn't right when it comes to how America handles crime and incarceration. I also believe that America needs to do a better job at handling crimes related to social issues. Rather than some one who is mentally ill or addicted going to jail, they should receive help. Clearly, they are in need of help if things got to the point where they committed a crime because of something like mental illness or addiction. Putting people in prison is obviously not the best response to crimes. Mass incarceration has not been effective, and now many states are dealing with overcrowded jails; jails that need to be funded by taxes. Rather that trying to "solve" the problem by putting everyone in prison, the United States should instead try to reduce the problem before it even begins; i.e having more available programs to treat things such as mental illness or addiction. Prison isn't always the answer.
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