African Americans In The Prison System Essay

One of the many social problems here in America are the high rate of African Americans placed in the prison system. According to NAACP, from 1980 to 2008, the number of people incarcerated in America quadrupled-from roughly 500,000 to 2.3 million and out of the 2.3 million incarcerated 1 million are African Americans. African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. 1 out of 3 African American males are expected to go to prison in their lifetime compared to the 1 out of 17 white males who are most likely to end up in prison as well. There are racial disparities held in the criminal justice system where African American males are most targeted. Police are the first to look at when talking about the criminal justice system. Law enforcement agencies prioritize high crime areas which happens to be neighborhoods that is heavily populated with
The wives, girlfriends and children of these inmates suffer collateral damage. By 14, roughly around 25% of African American children have experience a parent – mainly fathers – being imprisoned for some period of time. Studies show that the children do less well in school, most likely to drop out of school and develop behavioral problems. Some might suffer from migraines, asthma, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder and extreme case homelessness. As far as the women partners may experience depression and economic hardship. In conclusion, mass incarceration among black males is a big social problem here in America. Over the past 40 years, the prison population has increased substantially. As a result of disparities in arrests and sentencing, this upsurge has disproportionately affected black communities. Just to reinstate, black men are imprisoned six times the rate of white males. It is estimated that black men have a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in their