The Color Of Imprisonment Analysis
The Color Of Imprisonment
“1 in 36 Hispanic adults are currently incarcerated, as is one in nine black men aged 20 to 34. One in three black men will be imprisoned in his lifetime. Although illegal drug use is equally prevalent among white and black males, a black man is five times more likely to be arrested. A higher percentage of the black population is currently imprisoned in America than in South Africa at the height of apartheid.” (Gordon)
The Justice system in America is one that is contradictory to its name. Instead of helping and rehabilitating its inmates, prisons hinder and marginalize minorities through systematic forms of discrimination and oppression. We are living in a world where man is not created equal. Where remnants …show more content…
of racial segregation, persecution, and unjust systems dictated solely by ones skin color, are still very present in the cracks of daily communications. The justice system in America is one that needs amendment because it targets minority youth in low socio-economic neighborhoods, does little to rehabilitate prisoners, and provides very few resources to help inmates after they are released. This leads to the perpetuation of a cycle that forces minorities back into gangs or prisons, or that may even lead to their death.
Although we are given the impression that the justice system in America is one that sees no color, the cold reality is that it does.
As long as minorities have lived in America, they have faced different forms of institutional or structural racism. Now, that same structural racism takes form in the American prison system. The justice system in America is one that locks the poor and minorities up with abandon, while it lacks to help them upon their release back into society. A large percentage of US prisoners are put into jail for nonviolent drug crimes, which targets largely Black and Latino males. These men and women who are committed of nonviolent drug crimes come mostly from urban areas, where drug crimes are committed out of desperation and strong economic need (Kurtzleben). Furthermore, the laws that are put into place seem to protect one race of people, while it hinders another. An example of this disparity is the crack/cocaine law. “Although approximately two thirds of crack cocaine users are white or Hispanic, a large percentage of people convicted of possession of crack cocaine in federal courts in 2004 were black” (Kurtzleben). Possession of crack can carry the same sentence as the possession of a quantity of cocaine that is 100 times larger (Kurtzleben). Although crack and cocaine is virtually the same drug, cocaine is a purer, more expensive form of the drug, making it one that attracts upper class Caucasians, while crack is more prevalent in low class minority communities. With the combination of severe and unbalanced drug possession laws, along with the rates of conviction in terms of race, the judicial system has created a huge racial disparity. Another example of the unjust racial disparities in the American Justice System is the Stop and Frisk law that was recently put into place in New York. “Last year, New York City police stopped nearly 700,000 people, 84 percent of them black or Latino. (Only 12 percent of those encounters resulted in arrests)”
(Ford). Racial profiling is the practice of targeting individuals for police or security detention based on their race or ethnicity in the belief that certain minority groups are more likely to engage in unlawful behavior. The Stop and Frisk law is a mandated policy that intrinsically deems racial profiling as okay. The Stop and Frisk law allows innocent men and women of color to be targeted as criminals – their voices, rights, and humanity muted for the “better good” of the community. American citizens naively believe in the justice system. We believe it works. We believe it reforms. We blindly assume the Justice System gives inmates the tools and education they need while in prison, to reenter society repentant and equipped to become active and valuable members of society. Unfortunately, this ideal that many Americans hold is nothing but an illusion. The chilling reality being, most prisoners come out of prison (many for minor non violent offences) worse than when they entered.
“Two men to a cell for most of the newcomers, and they don’t have enough jobs for the men and then they’re cutting back on the school programs. Big time, no rehabilitation, lock em up like animals – then let them out on society crazed and angry.” (Wideman, 243) Although the prison system is one that is very skewed and discriminatory, no one can argue the obvious need for prisons. If we didn’t have any system placed that reprimanded those who committed crimes, our world would perceivably be one filled with chaos and corruption. That being said, our prisons should not simply be places to hold those who have committed crimes until their sentence is over – but instead – a place to reform inmates and release them as valuable members of society. Regrettably, for most inmates, prison is just a place that teaches convicts how to become better criminals. Clinical Psychologist Stanton Samenow believes that “incarcerating offenders makes them worse because they learn new ‘tricks of the trade’” (Samenow). Shankar Vedantam, writer for NPR, writes in his article entitled, “When Crime Pays: Prison Can Teach Some To Be Better Criminals”, that “criminals who go to prison don 't come out reformed. They come out worse” (Vedantam). Vedantam goes on to quote Donald T. Hutcherson II, a sociology professor at Ohio University in Lancaster, who did a study on whether prisons reformed inmates. Through his extensive study, Hutcherson found that “spending time in prison leads to increased criminal earnings. On average, a person can make roughly $11,000 more [illegally] from spending time in prison versus a person who does not spend time in prison" (Vedantam). Hutcherson’s study highlights how those who spend time in prison find more ways to make illegal money in and outside of prison than those who do not enter prison. American prisons, which should reform inmates and reintegrate them as better members of society, have, in-actuality, become breeding grounds for illegal activity. For some though, prison does act as time of deep thought and contriteness. Some inmates leave prison with the belief they can live the rest of their life crime-free and honest. Unfortunately, they soon realize, society isn’t very kind to people who have made mistakes. They are marginalized, labeled, and forever tainted. Yay! You’ve been released from prison – your unfortunate past hopefully behind you. You’ve learned a lot in prison. You’ve learned how to steal better, how to lie better, how to smuggle drugs better – but you refuse. You refuse to allow yourself to enter that life again. You survived prison and now your ready to enter society a better man. You’re labeled a felon, but you hope to overcome that. Get a job. Rent a home. Go to school. You soon realize you cant. Remember, you’re a felon? When that background check comes back, you get denied from the job and from renting that home. When you have to mark that box labeled “felon” for financial aid, you get denied funding for school. So what do you do? In an article written in the St. Petersburg Times, author Jim Ross interviews Mrs. Scordato, an ex-convict who wishes to better her life and find a job, but cannot because of her felony record. Mrs. Scordato declares, "I still feel like I 'm in jail because I cannot find a job” (Ross). Scordato just wants to get her life on track and, most importantly, regain custody of her 6-year-old daughter, Ashley. Scordato, who survives off the aid of food stamps, cannot regain custody of her daughter until she has established secure employment and home (Ross). Scordato is perfect representation of the paradox that is the American Justice System. What is one to do when they’ve served their time and want to better their life if society, but the unjust systems placed, won’t allow them? For many, they are forced back into the life that got them into prison. With no money, and no options, selling drugs and other illegal activity becomes a last resort and means of survival, which leads to a continual cycle that sends them back into prisons and gangs.
The American justice and prison system needs immense reformation. True equality is blind of race, class, and gender. True justice does not target one color of people, while it benefits another. Additionally, more resources need to be provided for inmates, like education and job training, so they are able to leave prison with the tools they need to live life crime-free. No one should be labeled for the rest of their lives for a mistake they made and want to live past. Felons who wish to better their lives should have an honest opportunity to do so. Currently, anyone labeled a felony record must face daily struggles finding jobs, housing, and funding for education. The hopeless cycle of crime that grips those in inner city communities will not end until more resources are available for ex convicts to better themselves after they are released from prison.
Works Cited
Gordon, Claire. "Prisons Neither Deter Crime Nor Rehabilitate Criminals." Prisons. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010.
Kurtzleben, Danielle. "Data Show Racial Disparity in Crack Sentencing." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 03 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 June 2013.
Richard Thompson Ford "Two black Americas." The Wilson Quarterly 36.4 (2012). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 June 2013.
Ross, Jim. "Felons ' challenge: Finding a good job." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 21 May 2002: 1. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 June 2013.
Samenow, Stanton E., Dr. "Do Prisons Make Offenders Worse?" Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 9 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 June 2013.
Vedantam, Shankar. "When Crime Pays: Prison Can Teach Some To Be Better Criminals." NPR. NPR, 1 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 June 2013.
Wideman, John Edgar. Brothers and Keepers. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984. Print.
“1 in 36 Hispanic adults are currently incarcerated, as is one in nine black men aged 20 to 34. One in three black men will be imprisoned in his lifetime. Although illegal drug use is equally prevalent among white and black males, a black man is five times more likely to be arrested. A higher percentage of the black population is currently imprisoned in America than in South Africa at the height of apartheid.” (Gordon)
The Justice system in America is one that is contradictory to its name. Instead of helping and rehabilitating its inmates, prisons hinder and marginalize minorities through systematic forms of discrimination and oppression. We are living in a world where man is not created equal. Where remnants …show more content…
of racial segregation, persecution, and unjust systems dictated solely by ones skin color, are still very present in the cracks of daily communications. The justice system in America is one that needs amendment because it targets minority youth in low socio-economic neighborhoods, does little to rehabilitate prisoners, and provides very few resources to help inmates after they are released. This leads to the perpetuation of a cycle that forces minorities back into gangs or prisons, or that may even lead to their death.
Although we are given the impression that the justice system in America is one that sees no color, the cold reality is that it does.
As long as minorities have lived in America, they have faced different forms of institutional or structural racism. Now, that same structural racism takes form in the American prison system. The justice system in America is one that locks the poor and minorities up with abandon, while it lacks to help them upon their release back into society. A large percentage of US prisoners are put into jail for nonviolent drug crimes, which targets largely Black and Latino males. These men and women who are committed of nonviolent drug crimes come mostly from urban areas, where drug crimes are committed out of desperation and strong economic need (Kurtzleben). Furthermore, the laws that are put into place seem to protect one race of people, while it hinders another. An example of this disparity is the crack/cocaine law. “Although approximately two thirds of crack cocaine users are white or Hispanic, a large percentage of people convicted of possession of crack cocaine in federal courts in 2004 were black” (Kurtzleben). Possession of crack can carry the same sentence as the possession of a quantity of cocaine that is 100 times larger (Kurtzleben). Although crack and cocaine is virtually the same drug, cocaine is a purer, more expensive form of the drug, making it one that attracts upper class Caucasians, while crack is more prevalent in low class minority communities. With the combination of severe and unbalanced drug possession laws, along with the rates of conviction in terms of race, the judicial system has created a huge racial disparity. Another example of the unjust racial disparities in the American Justice System is the Stop and Frisk law that was recently put into place in New York. “Last year, New York City police stopped nearly 700,000 people, 84 percent of them black or Latino. (Only 12 percent of those encounters resulted in arrests)”
(Ford). Racial profiling is the practice of targeting individuals for police or security detention based on their race or ethnicity in the belief that certain minority groups are more likely to engage in unlawful behavior. The Stop and Frisk law is a mandated policy that intrinsically deems racial profiling as okay. The Stop and Frisk law allows innocent men and women of color to be targeted as criminals – their voices, rights, and humanity muted for the “better good” of the community. American citizens naively believe in the justice system. We believe it works. We believe it reforms. We blindly assume the Justice System gives inmates the tools and education they need while in prison, to reenter society repentant and equipped to become active and valuable members of society. Unfortunately, this ideal that many Americans hold is nothing but an illusion. The chilling reality being, most prisoners come out of prison (many for minor non violent offences) worse than when they entered.
“Two men to a cell for most of the newcomers, and they don’t have enough jobs for the men and then they’re cutting back on the school programs. Big time, no rehabilitation, lock em up like animals – then let them out on society crazed and angry.” (Wideman, 243) Although the prison system is one that is very skewed and discriminatory, no one can argue the obvious need for prisons. If we didn’t have any system placed that reprimanded those who committed crimes, our world would perceivably be one filled with chaos and corruption. That being said, our prisons should not simply be places to hold those who have committed crimes until their sentence is over – but instead – a place to reform inmates and release them as valuable members of society. Regrettably, for most inmates, prison is just a place that teaches convicts how to become better criminals. Clinical Psychologist Stanton Samenow believes that “incarcerating offenders makes them worse because they learn new ‘tricks of the trade’” (Samenow). Shankar Vedantam, writer for NPR, writes in his article entitled, “When Crime Pays: Prison Can Teach Some To Be Better Criminals”, that “criminals who go to prison don 't come out reformed. They come out worse” (Vedantam). Vedantam goes on to quote Donald T. Hutcherson II, a sociology professor at Ohio University in Lancaster, who did a study on whether prisons reformed inmates. Through his extensive study, Hutcherson found that “spending time in prison leads to increased criminal earnings. On average, a person can make roughly $11,000 more [illegally] from spending time in prison versus a person who does not spend time in prison" (Vedantam). Hutcherson’s study highlights how those who spend time in prison find more ways to make illegal money in and outside of prison than those who do not enter prison. American prisons, which should reform inmates and reintegrate them as better members of society, have, in-actuality, become breeding grounds for illegal activity. For some though, prison does act as time of deep thought and contriteness. Some inmates leave prison with the belief they can live the rest of their life crime-free and honest. Unfortunately, they soon realize, society isn’t very kind to people who have made mistakes. They are marginalized, labeled, and forever tainted. Yay! You’ve been released from prison – your unfortunate past hopefully behind you. You’ve learned a lot in prison. You’ve learned how to steal better, how to lie better, how to smuggle drugs better – but you refuse. You refuse to allow yourself to enter that life again. You survived prison and now your ready to enter society a better man. You’re labeled a felon, but you hope to overcome that. Get a job. Rent a home. Go to school. You soon realize you cant. Remember, you’re a felon? When that background check comes back, you get denied from the job and from renting that home. When you have to mark that box labeled “felon” for financial aid, you get denied funding for school. So what do you do? In an article written in the St. Petersburg Times, author Jim Ross interviews Mrs. Scordato, an ex-convict who wishes to better her life and find a job, but cannot because of her felony record. Mrs. Scordato declares, "I still feel like I 'm in jail because I cannot find a job” (Ross). Scordato just wants to get her life on track and, most importantly, regain custody of her 6-year-old daughter, Ashley. Scordato, who survives off the aid of food stamps, cannot regain custody of her daughter until she has established secure employment and home (Ross). Scordato is perfect representation of the paradox that is the American Justice System. What is one to do when they’ve served their time and want to better their life if society, but the unjust systems placed, won’t allow them? For many, they are forced back into the life that got them into prison. With no money, and no options, selling drugs and other illegal activity becomes a last resort and means of survival, which leads to a continual cycle that sends them back into prisons and gangs.
The American justice and prison system needs immense reformation. True equality is blind of race, class, and gender. True justice does not target one color of people, while it benefits another. Additionally, more resources need to be provided for inmates, like education and job training, so they are able to leave prison with the tools they need to live life crime-free. No one should be labeled for the rest of their lives for a mistake they made and want to live past. Felons who wish to better their lives should have an honest opportunity to do so. Currently, anyone labeled a felony record must face daily struggles finding jobs, housing, and funding for education. The hopeless cycle of crime that grips those in inner city communities will not end until more resources are available for ex convicts to better themselves after they are released from prison.
Works Cited
Gordon, Claire. "Prisons Neither Deter Crime Nor Rehabilitate Criminals." Prisons. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010.
Kurtzleben, Danielle. "Data Show Racial Disparity in Crack Sentencing." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 03 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 June 2013.
Richard Thompson Ford "Two black Americas." The Wilson Quarterly 36.4 (2012). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 June 2013.
Ross, Jim. "Felons ' challenge: Finding a good job." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 21 May 2002: 1. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 June 2013.
Samenow, Stanton E., Dr. "Do Prisons Make Offenders Worse?" Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 9 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 June 2013.
Vedantam, Shankar. "When Crime Pays: Prison Can Teach Some To Be Better Criminals." NPR. NPR, 1 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 June 2013.
Wideman, John Edgar. Brothers and Keepers. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984. Print.