Race, Incarceration, And American Values Essay - 1141 Words

A Summary of Race, Incarceration, and American Values The book Race, Incarceration, and American Values describes mass incarceration as essentially a legalized form of genocide that is slowly destroying the fiber of African American families and communities. It provides explanations for the origin of mass incarceration as well as the reasons for the disproportionate level of African Americans in the prison system. Glenn Loury, along with Pamela Karian, Tommie Shelby, and Loic Wacquant discuss how America has let fear and greed cause an inequitable landscape for citizens who have the misfortune of being born the wrong color and of the wrong social-economic class. The principals of equality and freedom on which America was founded has become nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Maybe the pride America displays to the World as a Global power incapable of wrong doing is what is holding it back from recognizing the mistakes it made and undergoing to process of change. Or, maybe it is what we fear most. It is what we know in our heads and hea rts; but never dared to say. That it is a careful crafted system to keep those with power in power! Glenn Loury explains why incarceration became so popular and how it affects the African American community more than all others. The early 1990s was dubbed the age of crime, fueled by drive-by shootings, drug deals gone bad, crack cocaine, and gangster rap. Crime became the new social hot button issue. A study from 1960 to 1990 of New Haven, aShow MoreRelatedRace, Incarceration, And American Values Essay1071 Words   |  5 PagesChris Brown 11/10/2016 Anth 1100 Megan Tucker Race, Incarceration, and American Values Race, Incarceration and American Values explains how incarceration is a legalized form of genocide that is slowly destroying the fiber of African American communities. Glenn Loury, along with Pamela Karian, Tommie Shelby and Loic Wacquant discuss how America has let fear and greed cause a inequitable landscape for its inhabitants who have unfortunately been born on the wrong side of the hill. The principals ofRead MoreThe Social Problem Of Poverty1347 Words   |  6 PagesThe social problem is poverty, a risk factor that predisposes disadvantaged groups to incarceration. Data shows that the incarcerated majority are minority groups like African Americans and Latinos. In today’s society, one can argue that both the state and people tend to place the blame solely on the individual. The poor are often stigmatized, associating them with an undesirable stereotype that reduces their value as an individual. 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During the 1800s, Rice would dress in blackface and perform a song titled Jump Jim Crow. (Bart-Planged) A decade or so after slavery was abolished in 1865, the name of this belligerent character was used to label a new set of laws that plagued African Americans in pursuit of universal freedomRead MoreJudges On Trial : A Reexamination Of Judicial Race And Gender Effects Across Modes Of Conviction1044 Words   |  5 PagesReexamination of Judicial Race and Gender Effects Across Modes of Con viction By Brian D. 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(Lancaster) Historically, civilization has demonstratedRead MoreThe New Jim Crow : A Civil Rights Lawyer Essay1365 Words   |  6 Pages Two million African Americans are presently under the criminal-justice system, in prison, or on probation. The past few decades, millions of more people have been in and out of the System. To be 100 percent; nearly 70 percent of people released from prison are re-arrested within three years. Most people appreciate that millions of African Americans were locked into a second-class status during slavery and Jim Crow. These earlier systems of racial control made a reminder of Political, social, andRead MoreImpact Of Incarceration Of Young Offenders1744 Words   |  7 PagesWhat Impacts Incarceration of â€Å"Young Offenders† in the United States By Cedric Washington (Abstract) This study is to examine the impact of offenders under the ages of 18 becoming incarcerated in United States. In society today there a lot of young children of all races incarcerated throughout America. All around the world there are different classes of people that form a community. Within these communities, population grows and grows on a yearly basis. When looking at the topicRead MoreRacial Disparity in Prisons Essay examples1456 Words   |  6 Pagesthe United States Prison System Micah O’Daniel Institutional Corrections 2/22/11 Racial inequality in the American criminal justice system  has a strong effect of many realms of society such as the family life, and employment. Education and race seem to be the most decisive factors when deciding who goes to jail and what  age cohort  has the greatest percentage chance of incarceration. Going to prison no longer affects just the individual who committed the crime. Instead, the family and community