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The End Of The Civil Rights Act

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The idea of subjecting and removing Black American men out of the Black household started during slavery. In 1950 and 1980 Blacks were marrying at the same rate that they were being imprisoned, after 1990 during the height of mandatory minimum sentencing laws there is a split in the number of Black marriages and Black men in prison (see appendix)(Marriage).

Our criminal justice system has set up criminals for recidivism. According to the Bureau of Justice within three years, 7 in 10 non-violent offenders are arrested and at risk for recidivism. The passage of the Civil Rights Act ended discrimination against people based on religion, sex, race or sexual orientation, but not criminal history. Today it is legal for a person to be discriminated against for their criminal history. In fact most jobs ask someone for their criminal history, asking the dreaded question of “Have you ever committed a felony”? This question many times disqualifies people from having the resume or application considered. President Bill Clinton’s administration pushed through laws that made it tougher for felons to move on and have a better life by; banning them from public housing, receiving federal financial aid or even receiving food stamps. Many former convicts are also at risk of having a high rates of suicide and homelessness because many prisons offer limited or no programs to attempt to help convicts with reentry into society. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws have incarcerated people for

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