Black Male Incarceration and the New Jim Crow… March 29, 2011 (ThyBlackMan.com) “More African American men are in prison or jail, on probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War began,” according to Michelle Alexander, a law professor at The Ohio State University. Alexander is the author of an interesting new book called “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindedness.” According to Professor Alexander, increases in crime rates do not explain the massive growth in black male incarceration that has taken place over the last 30 years. “In fact, crime rates have fluctuated over the years and are now at historical lows,” according to Alexander. “Most of that increase is due to the War on Drugs, a war waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color.” The professor also mentions that whites use and sell illegal drugs at rates that are as high or higher than African Americans. In many inner city communities across America, four out of five black males are expected to be in the criminal justice system at some point during their lifetime. Where the Jim Crow aspect of Professor Alexander’s argument comes into play is primarily during the disenfranchisement that occurs after a man or woman has become part of the criminal justice system. After committing a crime at a very early age, a convicted felon then has his/her right to vote stripped away, along with the ability to obtain gainful employment. This forms a legalized caste system that keeps many families, particularly black and brown ones, in the bottom rung of our society. The same way the government once served as an accomplice in keeping black people from having opportunities, it does the same thing now with convicted felons and their families. “What do we expect them to do?” asked Professor Alexander. “Well, seventy percent return to prison within two years, that’s what they do.” Professor Alexander accurately notes that money is part of the reason that the prison industrial complex remains intact. She says that if prison populations were to go back to what they were before the failed War on Drugs, more than a million people would lose jobs in the system. Additionally, corporations now earn billions of dollars every year from cheap prison labor that they can’t find anywhere else in the world. What I respect about the work of Michelle Alexander is that she is using her scholarship for a productive purpose, instead of writing a bunch of research papers that no one will ever read (as many black scholars are unfortunately conditioned to do). Mass incarceration is one of the most devastating problems facing black America today and it also serves to undermine the stability of the black family in America. When the Reagan Administration allowed drugs and guns to enter black communities during the Iran Contra Affair, this set off a sequence of events that would serve to devastate black America over the next several decades. The crack cocaine epidemic led to the addictions of millions of parents who abandoned their children in search of the drug. This also brought on an unprecedented amount of violence in urban America, where law-abiding families were no longer safe. The violence not only led to homicide being the leading cause of death for young black males, but also skyrocketing rates of incarceration for black men as a result of gun, drug and murder convictions. What added insult to injury in the War on Drugs is that not only did the government play a role in allowing guns and drugs into black America, they were the first in line to chastise African Americans for possessing these items. A large percentage of black males behind bars have been convicted of drug possession, even though the major producers of both drugs and guns happen to be white. So while the state and American citizens are more than happy to see black men go to prison for possessing guns and drugs that have been created by someone else, there is almost no effort to go after those who create these deadly products in the first place. I agree with Professor Alexander, who argues that a revolution is necessary for this system to be fixed. We’ve seen that a black President and Attorney General won’t do the trick, so it’s entirely up to the people. Black folks are starting to realize what has happened to us over the last 30 years, and we shouldn’t be happy about it. Now it’s time for our community to rebuild.
While I do think that ALL drugs (especially weed) be legalized, these idiots have no one to blame but themselves when they get incarcerated. Its their own fault.
When unemployment is so unfairly higher amongst bm than any other group of people how else can some these guys make a living? The law makers know this and unfairly target young bm. They keep instutionalized poverty alive with no way out for most and use the few who do make it as a reason to condemn the many.
This may be true, but if you were aware of the agenda in place to imprison black men with long and harsh sentences for nonviolent crimes versus that of white men in general for the predominant (pedophiles)violent crimes they commit, I am sure that you would not share the common attitude that most ignorant Americans have concerning the horrendous realities of black male incarceration here in America. It is this attitude that allows the prison system to thrive so prosperously, right before our face without conflict. America has the largest prison system in the world. Black men make up only 6 percent of America's population. Yet, they make up more than 40% of America's prison system. There are far more black men in prison than white men. Do you not see that there is definitely something wrong with this picture or do you really think that black men are just MORE prone to break the law than white men are?
I usually don't respond to many posts but I must comment on this one. As someone who have seen many parts of the world, good and bad, for any race of men to point there fingers at another race of men and portray them as being violent is the prime example of the pot calling the kettle black. In every society in the world that has a penal system, MEN make up the large percentage of the prison population, by a long shot. MEN comment the most crimes anywhere on earth. To think that one race of men commits more crimes that another is stupid. However, you do notice that the minority group in a society ALWAYS seem to make up the largest percent of those incarcerated. For example, in Australia, the aborigine people are a small minority yet makes up over 50% of the people in jail. Now, this is coming from a country that started as a penal system. EVERYBODY has a criminal who was incarcerated in their family tree. .
OMG! I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for posting. Welcome to the forum. Please don't let this be your last time posting.
If a brotha is dealing crack to people in his neighborhood, I have ZERO sympathy for the idiot. Its his own fault if he gets arrested. He knew the risks and he'll have to pay the price. Its just the way it is.
There are so many factors that come into play though. A lot of black guys come from broken homes and have never met their fathers or dont have them in their lives. So they are undisiplined and lead a life of crime. I highly doubt there is a government conspriacy to arrest all black men. Thats a load of bs imo. Some of y'all need to lay off the weed, its making you mofos super paranoid:smt036
Yeah so was slavery and jim crow at a point but that shit had to end too. Don't tell me that it's just the way it is when someone selling coke gets probabtion when someone selling crack gets a year mandatory. Who's more likely to sell crack? So its obvious racism and truth be told I think adults should be allowed to do whatever drugs they want in moderation. It only becomes a problem when they abuse it.
I'm sorry but both you and iggy are not thinking of what will happen if we were to legalize all drugs. It would be chaotic. Too many people would have hallucantations that could lead to their or other people's death. Let's not forget how much it would cost to fix these people on a universal health care in the future.
Why is the risk only on the Black neighborhood dealer and not the mofos that bring it in....launder the money...and maintain the drug pipeline ....????? Save that ZERO sympathy talk for those that control the flow of drugs into the Country in the first place. Cracking down on the ones at the BOTOM of the trade is COWARDICE. You're not a coward are you??
one of the reason's why i posted this is to bring awareness...this country talks so much about healthcare reform...we are in deperate need of prison reform...the prison system is eating away at our tax dollars and has become big business in the usa...there is actually big money in the private ownership of prisons as well...as we approach an election year this is something that we should all be thinking about...the unfortunate reality is that we choose not to think about it at all...we lock em up...put a fence around it...hire people to manage it but never really dive into what it would take to initiate prison reform in the usa
Yeah the same way food addtives, cigarettes, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals are chaotic? Again everything in moderation and no operation any vehicles and I don't see the problem with it. Legalizing drugs at the very least weed will solve most of our budget problems.
It would not be chaotic.. Prohibition is what causes chaos..be it alcholol or drugs. Alcholol prohibition turned the streets of America into a WAR zone...and far too many of the wrong people got rich and powerful. Drug prohibition is doing the same thing today. When you make anything illegal...you create a dangerous Black market. When you legalize it...all that goes away. The people that want to get high are ALREADY GETTING HIGH:smt039.....legalizing drugs won't make those that don't indulge suddenly run out and get stoned. Portugal cut it's drug use in HALF simply by legalizing it.
Moderation for cigarettes? Maybe you are right ... consuming poision in moderation won't be harmful. maybe weed but not some of these hard drugs that give huge health problems even in moderation!
It would be chaotic. You' d have people taking steriods and ruinning their bodies just to look one way or taking some of these hard drugs that ruin their organs. Eventually, they would want to be fixed which would end up costing too much in a universal health care system.
I was listening to a radio conservative talk show...2 different shows I will talk about: show number 1) white talk show host male. stating the following: BM make up the most in the prison system ..yadda yadda conservative talking points.. you know obey the law..do the crime do the time..yadda yadda. bad neighborhood. ect... white woman called and she stated " BM are targeted and get the harshest crimes (something of the sort). conservative interrupted and said something slick about like how do you know. she responded "Im married to a bm and I live in a ruff a neighborhood next to drug dealers. Wboys come to the neighborhood to and get busted all the time but they are back the next day getting stuff but the blacks do catch a break" there was a hush over waves for about 2seconds (thats a longtime for radio) and he move on. call 2 different show: man called in about his son responding to show host who was doing his talking pts(same ole same ole) and the man said that his son has been arrested 3 times and each time they sent him to treatment centers and ect... but he never went to jail for a long stint. HMMMMMM get my point
