1 out of every 13 black men alive in the United States of America are incarcerated. (Washington Post) For black men in their 20s, 1 out of every 8 of them are incarcerated. (The Sentencing Project)
(Human Rights Watch) The latest BJS data also reveal that the burdens of incarceration continue to fall disproportionately on blacks and Hispanics, who constitute some 60 percent of all state and federal prisoners, although only 27.4 percent of the US adult population.
For every 100,000 black people in the U.S. about 2,290 are in jail.
For every 100,000 white people in the U.S. about 412 are in jail.
For every 100,000 latino people in the U.S. about 742 are in jail.
The Sentencing Project did not have statistics for Native Americans.
There are more than 2,300,000 people incarcerated in the U.S. Or about 1/136 of all U.S. residents... men, women, and children.
(Human Rights Watch) With violent crime rates continuing their decade-long decline, the United States should be able to reduce its prison population. But the still-growing number of men and women behind bars attests to criminal justice policies – including mandatory minimum sentences, three strikes laws, and reduced options for parole – that favor incarceration over alternative sanctions, even for low-level and nonviolent crimes. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data, 53 percent of all state and federal prisoners are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes. Indeed, an estimated 337,872 men and women are serving state or federal prison sentences because of drug convictions, most of whom are low-level offenders.Say it with me:
1) mandatory minimum sentences
2) three strikes laws
3) and reduced options for parole
"...that favor incarceration over alternative sanctions, even for low-level and nonviolent crimes."
In light of the recent discussion on The Liberator about 51% of U.S. women being single and only 30% of black women getting married, I would suggest that we need not argue where all the black men are at.
Post a Comment
8 comments:
The numbers make sense. I say the massive number of humans incarcerated in Amerikka is by design and part of an overall scheme of population control. Other factors are at work as well like miseducation, a wack "justus" system, select (only my family) employment opportunities and a select political system. Again, the numbers make sense.
Can I vote to have this information put into the paper version of the magazine? I vote for that!
Now, do we use this exact same legal system to try and change things? Cause that's my only real idea.
I am also a vote for putting this in the paper version of the magazine. This is a very powerful message/statement, and it needs to be the template of a letter that we all send to our friends and relatives and ask that they write to their Federal, State and local representatives on this issue. Maybe it is the start of a Million (moms, dads, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, godmoms and goddads, stepdads, stepmoms, stepsister, stepbrother, friend, neighbor, former teacher/barbar/ babysitter/paster/minister - ok you get the idea. We can not stand silently by while this is happening!
That picture is deep.
That looks like a Liberator Magazine cover (good idea Tasha!).
People keep saying that the brothers have got to stop "committing" crimes and making it an issue about so-called morals. We must never forget that the prison industrial system is most certainly an extension of the American way (F-you-pay-me) by ANY means...and it is sickening because it really does speak to probably the most BLATANT assault on our humanity...so much so that its really just mind-blowing.
I've never known a person who hustled just for the smell of it...they were ALWAYS about survival. I mean folks are trying to feed their children and their may be a handful of Nino Brown's (who get magnified via film and the music industry, which continues to prompte and glorify the lifestyle) but I mean some of our most brilliant human beings are running the streets, locked in cells, it has GOT to stop.
I have to say that I don't expect this same system to fix a problem that it benefits from...We're dealing with a strong force that thrives off of our oppression, I mean it is BIG business...
but we can work towards liberation.
I second all of those motions! This is definitely Liberator-worthy. In fact, in light of the recent discussions surrounding the matter (in addition to the dire need to propel this issue to the forefront of all our dialogue anyway), we are going to begin working on an in-depth piece for the next Liberator (6.2) that addresses the disparities in the justice system which lead to these disproportionate numbers and statistics.
Hopefully, we will be able to cross-reference it with some of the other issues we have been discussing, particularly the black women living single post. The parallels and connections that have been made are not coincidental, rather, it goes to show that EVERYTHING (socially, culturally, politically, economically, structurally, psychologically), is inextricably intertwined. We cannot remedy one issue without simultaneously addressing the other(s).
i really think we CAN do something. i think it's a matter of focusing.
federal minimum sentencing requirements lock up SO MANY people.
with john conyers fighting that, there really is a chance to turn at least that around.
but if we continue to abandon his efforts on this issue (regardless of if we agree with him on other issues) it will certainly fail.
I'm not sure if this is the right place or time for this, but for the sake of discussion, I have to let it be known that on MY block, the hustling is very much for the smell of it and has little to do with "survival." So how did we arrive at such different perspectives? How does one define "survival?" Wouldn't survival (in a system that targets black men disproportionately) mean doing the exact opposite of what the system is hunting for?
So, you're telling me that some shiftless kids kicked down my door last week while I was "surviving" (read: WORKING) and stole SIX DOLLARS ($6!) worth of CHANGE because of survival? Or no wait, it was probably to feed their kids, right? Or, maybe it was because of the pervasive psychological effects of colonialism, slavery and white supremacy racism combined. Sorry. I don't buy it.
How come nothing is being discussed about the victims of the crimes that are putting black men in jail at disproportionate numbers? It's almost like we are forgetting that crimes are actually being committed...and against black people! Yes, that means your mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, neighbor, godmother (you get the idea) are not exempt and have probably been victimized one way or the other--even if it means that they can't walk down their own block and feel safe.
The crack dealers are selling to other black people (and yes, maybe the occasional white uptown junky). The killers are killing black people! The thieves are stealing and breaking into other black people's homes!
This discussion HAS to include the issue of morality in addition to talking about reforming the system or else it is incomplete.
Furthermore, if these human beings were so "brilliant" then they would stay clear of a system that they KNOW is inherently against them---by any means necessary. What we see instead, is that even the mandatory minimums, three strikes laws and reduced options for parole are not good enough deterrents for them to just simply stay out of trouble and from all appearances of trouble. I know it's easy to get caught up, but you won't find ME in no jail. No siree. Why? Because I know better. So why should I hold others at a lower standard?
Regardless of how you look at it, it will be easier to reform the system once we acknowledge that the some of our minds and behaviors need reforming first. Because if the judicial policies were reformed, I GUARANTEE we would STILL be having a discussion about disproportionate crime and incarceration rates among blacks. This is a indication that the problem is much larger than the system.
I hope a made some sense here.
Anonymous, thank you for your perspective. You bring up several valid points. Indeed, complex issues such as these are often multi-faceted and as I mentioned before, have structural, cultural, psychological, economic implications and remedies. Equally as important is that there is a "victim's side" which--like you assert-- is disproportionately black.
I don't think it is the intention of anyone to exclude any relevant party from the discussion. I don't think anyone is "forgetting" that crimes are being committed. I don't think anyone here is advocating crime or criminal activities. That has little to do with the pending issue.
Rather, what we are saying is that it's all intertwined, it's all related. This is a COMMUNITY problem and a reforming of incarceration policies and sentencing laws--getting it right,so to speak--will eventually help the community of which your mom, dad, brother, sister, are all a part of. That's the long-term vision. It is possible to discuss all the facets simultaneously.
Let's focus.
If you re-read the article it talks about how violent crimes are on the decline yet incarceration rates are on the rise. Given these numbers, we should be reading headlines like "More Black Men at Penn State Than in the State Pen!" Instead we are seeing the inverse. Meaning, people are being incarcerated for low-level offenses when there is a possibility that they can be rehabilitated in another way. That is the purpose of the prison system isn't it? To rehabilitate (or is it?)? But what is happening instead is that, like electricladylike said, the prison system is functioning as an extension of the all-for-profit mentality and this mentality is heavily influencing judicial incarceration and sentencing policies.<---THIS is what we are calling out. And I agree, the discussion is incomplete without addressing the morality aspect and the victimization of the black community...but we can't ONLY discuss that because, as history reveals, even if we ONLY addressed morality and community victimization we would STILL be talking about disproportionate incarceration rates. The system is flawed.
Post a Comment