Incarceration of African American Males Essay Example for Free

Incarc successiontion of Afri dejection American Males tryIntroduction The trend of African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 has seen a dramatic enlarge of incarceration. Attention has been focusing on areas of housing, education, and healthcare but the most prominent problem for African American males is the increase in the incarceration vagabond. African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 incarceration rate has been thought, by many, to be caused by economic factors such as under employ custodyt or unemployment, ridiculous housing, lack of education, and lack of healthcare. Yet, others believe it is due to the imbalance of minorities within the roughshod arbiter system, such as judges, lawyers, and lawmakers. This paper pull up stakesing explore two different outlooks high society has come up with so far, as to why African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29 are increasingly incarcerated. Finally, the information will give awareness to t he problems that is faced by African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29. Prevalence trouble 1 More than 40% of all American prisoners, men and women, are African American men, to that extent they make up just 13% of the U. S. male population (Roberts, 2004).This statistic does not include those African American men who are in local jails nor does it include those African American men under tutelar supervision (Table 2). They enter the state and federal prison system, at the prime of their economic and reproductive lives and tho they exit prison behind both economically and favorablely. The high rate of incarceration among African Americans has been celebrated by the interconnection of poor economy, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, absence of a unvoiced black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of conclave of these factors.Statistics dont even give African American males a good encounter to go o n out of jail. They have a one in four chance of being incarcerated, while Hispanic American males have a one in sestet chance, and white males only have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. The falsify of African Americans sets them apart and makes them targetable. Prevalence fuss 2 There is evidence, in our American nicety System, of structural inequality as seen in the pcts of minorities to the percentage of majorities employed in high ranking positions, within the system.The percentage of coupled States judges by feed are 79% Caucasian, 12% African American, and 2% Hispanics American (Federal Judicial Center, 2012), as for the thousands of lawyers in the United States it is approximate of 3% are African American (National Law Group, 2010-2011), and about 1 in 4 police officers are members of a racial or ethnic nonage in 2007 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). An probe into racial profiling showed that African American and Hispanic American offenders, who oft en are young discharged males, are more than likely than their white counterparts (Spohn, C., 2000).Their prison sentences are also typically longer or they receive differential benefits from guideline departures than do similarly situated white offenders (Spohn, C. , 2000). We must acknowledge the problems of racial discrepancy within the criminal judge system, communicate racial disparity within the criminal justice system with those we who are not informed of the problem, and stay committed to changing racial disparity within our justice system for change to begin.Causes In researching the high rate of incarceration in America it is more likely than not that the increase in African American Males being incarcerated is due to the War on Drugs (Table 1). It is public knowledge that dose crime ranks high among the effects of poverty. These poor neighborhoods not only remain crime they have poor schools, poor food, cramped living areas, and shortage of jobs if any jobs at all.D rugs and dose crime has become regularity in low income communities, arrests of Hispanics made up 55% of cocaine demolish offences and 52% of marijuana offenses and 49% involving opiates African Americans were suspected in 75% of crack cocaine cases ovalbumin males were suspected in 41% all methamphetamine cases (Motivans, M. , 2011). Decades of failed public and private remedies for chronic disparities and disadvantages in communities of color invite us to reexamine systems and institutions that provide and restrict opportunity in new ways (Lawrence, K. , 2011).The causes reckon to be intertwined being poor equals, equals a poor education, equals lack of employment, and ultimately equals an increased rate of crime. Consequences The causes face to be intertwined being poor, equals lack of education, which equals lack of employment, which equals increased rate of crime which equals impossibility to join criminal justice system. Also, many of these men are incarcerated while all the other non-incarcerated American young men are finishing school, starting careers, earning seniority at work, marrying and having children thus gaining capital.Even when released from prison, these men return underpin to their communities with a felony record that will pose extreme problems for them. The incarceration leads the released convict into a lower social class even if they were considered lower class Americans prior to their incarceration they now are lower in social class standing in most instances. This leads to a poor African American club, by chance as many as 50% of the male population will have been in prison.These incarcerated African American Males, who are in their prime of life, also are leaving half the families in this familiarity facing such things as poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, violence, absence of a strong black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of combination of these factors. The com munity ultimately will become poverty stricken, struggling to survive, and ultimately vulnerable to the situation repeating. Solutions How can this be changed? There are four key aspects to addressing racial disparity, in my opinion 1.Acknowledge 2. Communication 3. contrary = Strength 4. Commitment Not only is the problem of racial disparity under recognized by society it is not being communicated effectively to make change. Majority groups packs to acknowledge racial disparity and minority groups claim to communicate their knowledge regarding racial disparity. As each group majority and minority begins to become share their information with each other and work together for a common resultant role acknowledging there will be setbacks but with continued commitment systemic change will happen.decisiveness By refusing to tolerate disparate treatment of people of color or anyone within the criminal justice system we empower ourselves and our country. It is time that everyone inclu ding our legislators, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges work collectively and courageously to cancel out this negative stigma. Despite, America being known for its equal rights we are living proof that in this era inequality is a factor that cannot be taken lightly. The statistics that are surrounding African American males is astounding.We need to empower African American males with the knowledge that they have a one in four chance of becoming incarcerated. It is also important to know that Hispanic males have a one in six chance, and white males have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. All of these statistics need to be addressed to empower each and every one us. Throughout history we have not seen a change in majority groups (White, Male) and minority groups (Women, anyone that is not White) although we have seen numbers of minorities increasing at a fast pace.Today, however, the election of Barack Obama, not once but twice, may set the new grand of what an American actually is. As we embrace different cultures and their ethnic backgrounds society will prosper. As society increases their knowledge, in regards to each persons differences, they will acquire greater strength and prosperity. The only issue, that can occur, will be in the short term empowering others to embrace diversity. When we look beyond short-term, focus will shift to diverse empowerment through embracing the knowledge of our differences thus making us stronger as a society.TABLE 1 sick PROPORTION OF DRUG ARRESTS, EXCLUDING MARIJUANA POSSESSION YEAR BLACK % 1999 40. 1 2000 39. 3 2001 39. 1 2002 35. 8 2003 33. 8 2004 33. 1 2005 33. 2 Data calculated from drug arrest figures by race provided by the Uniform offence Reports division of the FBI TABLE 2 FBI abomination REPORT Arrests By Race, 2006 11,249 agencies 2006 estimated population 216,685,152 Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific islander Total White Black American I ndian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 10,437,620.7270214 2924724 130589 112093 100. 0 69. 7 28 1. 3 1. 1 Drug abuse violations 1376192 875101 483886 8198 9607 1000 63. 6 35. 1 0. 6 0. 7 DUIS 1034651 914226 95260 13484 11681 100 88. 4 9. 2 1. 3 1. 1 Liquor laws 466323 398068 50035 12831 5389 100 85. 4 10. 7 2. 8 1. 2 Drunken-ness 408439 344155 54113 7884 2287 100 84. 3 13. 2 1. 9 0. 6 Dis-orderly conduct 5117264 325991 179733 7606 3934 100 63. 0 34. 7 1. 5 0. 8 (The FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2010) References Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013, http//bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/index. cfm?ty=tptid=71 The FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2010, Table 43, http//www. fbi. gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u. s/2010/crime-in-the-u. s. -2010/tables/table-43 Federal Judicial Center, 2012, Overview of the United States Court System, http//www. fjc. gov/public/pdf. nsf/lookup/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf/$file/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf Lawrence, K. , 2011, Race, Crime, and penalisationBreaking the Connection in America, http//www. aspeninstitute. org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/Race-Crime-Punishment.pdf Motivans, Mark, 2011, Washington, DC US Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, http//bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/content/pub/pdf/fjs09. pdf National Law Group 2010-2011, http//blacklawyers. net/ Roberts, D. , 2004, Measuring the Social and Moral salute of Mass Incarceration, in African American Communities, http//www. law. fsu. edu/faculty/2003-2004workshops/roberts. pdf Spohn,C. ,2000, Thirty Years of Sentencing Reform The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process, http//www. justicestudies. com/pubs/livelink3-1. pdf.