Incarceration of African American Males Essay

The unfortunate truth of incarceration during the era of mass imprisonment is that African Americans are seven times more likely to be incarcerated than whites. Blacks were more likely than whites to go to prison, at least since the 1920’s (Western 2006: 4). By analyzing the rates of prison admission for blacks and whites at different levels of education, it shows that class inequalities in imprisonment increased as the economic status of low-education men deteriorated. Among young black men, particularly those with little schooling, the level of incarceration was increasingly high. So, why is it that young African American men are incarcerated at much higher rates than their counterparts?

The past quarter century has seen an enormous growth in the American incarceration rate. Importantly, some scholars have suggested that the rate of prison growth has little to do with the theme of crime itself, but it is the end result of particular U.S. policy choices. Clear (2007) posits that "these policy choices have had well-defined implications for the way prison populations have come to replicate a concentrated occurrence among specified subgroups in the United States population in particular young black men from deprived communities" (p. 49).

As reported by the U.S. Justice Department, there has been significant increase in incarcerated African American males, in comparison to Hispanic and White males. It is believed that social interaction, area of residency, and social networks have major influence on the increasing crime and incarceration rates of African American males. A larger portion of White males hold more positions within the U.S. Judicial system than African American males who make up a larger population of prison inmates and less involvement in legislation. This coincides with data suggesting that African American’s have lower percentages of receiving or obtaining higher education, placing them in areas of low-income and less opportunities. Social inequality in the judicial system is questioned as well as demographics and economics will be researched in order to provide in depth analysis of these national percentages of African Americans. Additional research is conducted to investigate circumstances once an African American male enters the criminal judicial system, and a generational cycle of crime. There is more knowledge and potential opportunities within the prison system versus the lack of resources these prisoners would feel they would have upon their release.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, which has tracked a representative sample of Americans since the mid-’90s, Nathaniel Lewis finds that the incarceration gap between blacks and whites is primarily driven by economic disparities. He concludes that one’s class, more than race, is the single greatest predictor of how likely someone is to land behind bars. Our jails and prisons are mostly filled with America’s poor. (In 2014, 57 percent of incarcerated men, and 72 percent of incarcerated women had incomes below $22,500 before they were locked away.) Many of them are white, but a

“Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men's skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact.”(Lyndon Johnson). For generations in the United Stated, ethnic minorities have been discriminated against and denied fair opportunity and equal rights. In the beginning there was slavery, and thereafter came an era of racism which directly impacted millions of minorities lives. This period called Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system up in till mid 1960s. Jim Crow was more than just a series of severe anti-Black laws, it became a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were positioned to the status of second class citizens. What Jim Crow

So in an attempt to isolate and control the pariah, the poor Black, an economic

Studies show that African Americans are incarcerated more than whites in state prisons, almost five times more, and ten times more in five states. The state of Oklahoma has one of the highest African American incarceration rates in the United States. One in fifteen of the African American population ages 18 and older are in prison. There are many theories about how prisons are run, this report will try to explain how they work based upon several factors. In order to understand the prison system it is important to first look into the jury system, the crime punishment, and the inmates view of the prison system (“The Color” 1-2)

The disproportionate numbers of African Americans in the prison system is a very serious issue, which is not usually discussed in its totality. However, it is quite important to address the matter because it ultimately will have an effect on African Americans as a whole.

The United States has the highest number of prisoners compared to any country in the world according to Denis J.Madden published in the America Magazine. Imprisoning hundreds of thousands African Americans has been significantly effective in society for several years. The criminal justice system enforces the law strictly in the African American society with brutal prosecution. As a result, the rate of poverty and unemployment in the African American community have been increasing for the last couple of decades as reported by

These huge racial disparities just show the divide in our country and the racial inequality that is going on. Behind all the statistics is a hidden fact, that being that one incarceration has effect on others. Just imagine now a kid is missing their father which also serves as inspiration or role model. It also has an effect on a family's income, it now limits them to a one household source of income which is why urban areas or otherwise known as “ Hood/Projects “ is one of the main contributors of the mass incarceration of African-American. Another effect of mass incarceration is the effect of an African-American’s right to certain citizenship right. These rights being the right to vote and the right to bear arms, which holds a great deal in America when it comes to choosing representatives and protection. As most of these are systematic there is also a problem that lies within the African-American community itself. But overall the justice system is systematically failing and being unfair towards African-American

Recent sociological studies have focused on pressing social issues such as urban crime and mass incarceration, and examining the invisible link between urban crime, poverty and race. Research indicates that mass incarceration has always worked to the detriment of African Americans, especially the low-income earners (Western, 2006). The aftermath of this trend is that the employment prospects of former felons are significantly diminished (Pager, 2007). Felon disfranchisement in turn distorts the local and national politics of the county (Uggen, 2006). This paper focuses on addressing the contemporary trends and ramifications of mass incarceration of African Americans, and elucidating on the criminal justice policy and the factors contributing to the intangible but real racial divide.

“Within three years of arrest nearly 60% of released black prisoners recidivate back to prison (Reisig, M. D., Bales, W. D., Hay, C., & Wang, X. (2007).” This statistic accounts for the total of all crimes whether new or old. Our society is undergoing a massive crisis that continually grows as inequality grows. This inequality can include social, economic, and racial. Throughout these article reviews variables are looked at correlating many different variables that could add and act as a catalyst to the problem being looked at. Particular variables that are looked at a specifically directed toward the minority crowd is the: Level of education, disadvantaged communities, social isolation, unemployment.

Racial inequality in the American criminal justice system has a strong effect of many realms of society such as the family life, and employment. Education and race seem to be the most decisive factors when deciding who goes to jail and what age cohort has the greatest percentage chance of incarceration. Going to prison no longer affects just the individual who committed the crime. Instead, the family and community left behind gain a new burden by one individual's actions. The United States still has a large disparity between Whites and Blacks and now a growing Hispanic population. This racial disparity in the educational

Research has found crime rate disparities among races. Specifically, research indicates higher crime rates for African Americans. For example, as shown by Benekos and Puzzanchera (2011), over the past 20 years, over 50 percent of juvenile delinquents transferred to adult courts have been African American. This number is shockingly high as African Americans represent only 13 percent of the population (Benekos & Puzzanchera, 2011). Benekos and Puzzanchera (2011) also stated that in their study, the disproportionate minority representation may be even higher nationally than it appeared. These rates reflect patterns of race and classism inequalities in the United States. Yet, America claims to be the epiphany of equality. America’s juvenile justice system clearly has flaws.

Although the African American jail population today is nowhere near as large as it was in the 1800’s, it is still disproportionately disadvantaging African Americans along with other racial minorities. Not only are the incarceration rates unjust, but they are the largest in the world, despite a decline in violent crime for the past few decades (Lofstrom and Raphael, 2016).