Race, the War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration

How did America come to have the highest rate of incarceration in the world?

a reply to: angkory13

White people love to build themselves up by hating on non-whites. It's woven into every atom of Murica.

examples to media pandering to WASP authoritarians

a reply to: angkory13

Because we also have more laws on the books than anyone else. When you make it impossible not to break a law, you end up with many more people behind bars.

As far as race being a part of it, I don't see that. I see if more of a socio-economic issue. Those that are not raised in a manner that teaches them to abide by the laws that are made are more likely to be incarcerated. Unfortunately, race becomes a part of that because some races tend to fall below certain socio-economic levels than others.

I don't have any numbers on it, but while there may be more races, other than anglo, incarcerated, what is the ratio of those races to the population of those races in total?

By legislating morality. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, abortion these are all moral issues. Keep in mind, there is not a single clause in the Constitution that says the government is allowed to oversee morality. Legislating morality has its roots in Christian fundamentalism. But what happened, is that business interests trying to squeeze out competition (ex: paper industry vs hemp industry) hijacked these moral crusades that these Christian fundamentalists (mostly from the late 1800's to early 1900's) were going to ramrod illegality as the solution to these "problems". The fact that the wrong solutions were pushed for the made up problems is never considered. Just keep yelling, "DRUGS ARE BAD!" and eventually everyone starts believing you.

Mandatory sentencing was supposed to bring equality. It has had the opposite effect and, yet its still here.

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass
Sure(rolls eyes). Being in prison didn't have anything to do with the crimes that the incarcerated committed. They're in prison just because of the color of their skin(rolls eyes again).

Seriously, if you commit a crime you go to jail. It doesn't matter what color you are. Now there is a different set of laws for the rich and poor, though. That I do believe. But keep in mind that there are far more poorer white people than there are black people.

a reply to: angkory13

I don't know how the prison system is set-up, but do they have separate facilities just for drug dealers and people jailed for possession? Murderers all in one facility etc... I just think our jails really don't rehabilitate criminals and drug addiction. It's just a place to hold them until they serve their term out. Yet a good portion of them come back out and go back to drugs and committing crime. Maybe we should concentrate more on rehabilitating them, rather than building more cells and costing tax payers more money to house and feed them.

originally posted by: Fylgje

Seriously, if you commit a crime you go to jail. It doesn't matter what color you are. Now there is a different set of laws for the rich and poor, though. That I do believe. But keep in mind that there are far more poorer white people than there are black people.

It's funny you say that there is no racial preference for people being convicted and sent to jail then make the statement that there are more poor white people than there are black people (unsourced) while also saying that there is a divide between poor and rich. Well if all those unsourced claims are true, please explain this:

I was just watching a documentary on TV the other day which mentioned this. USA highest rate of incarceration and largest prison population in the world. What??? Land of the free???

Privatized prisons want more money and profit and that means more prisons and more prisoners. Bad.

War on drugs, tough sentences for non violent drug offenders, privatized prisons = lots of prisons, lots of prisoners and lots of billions spent. $$$$$$$ All paid for by taxpayers. $ Result of too far right wing policies??

www.globalresearch.ca...

www.salon.com...

originally posted by: JimTSpock
$ Result of too far right wing policies??

No, the left is equally responsible for the prison situation that we are in. California has and loves its three strike rules.

Private corporations making billion dollar profits from taxpayer funded government contracts which have powerful lobby groups and probably payments and benefits for politicians. The US government is becoming a profit generating part of corporate America, they are becoming indistinguishable from one another. ?? Left or right is probably irrelevant at this level of corruption.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
By legislating morality. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, abortion these are all moral issues. Keep in mind, there is not a single clause in the Constitution that says the government is allowed to oversee morality. Legislating morality has its roots in Christian fundamentalism. But what happened, is that business interests trying to squeeze out competition (ex: paper industry vs hemp industry) hijacked these moral crusades that these Christian fundamentalists (mostly from the late 1800's to early 1900's) were going to ramrod illegality as the solution to these "problems". The fact that the wrong solutions were pushed for the made up problems is never considered. Just keep yelling, "DRUGS ARE BAD!" and eventually everyone starts believing you.

How can we roll these laws back if they are based on a religious tenants? Is that not the esablisment of a religion?

originally posted by: JimTSpock
Left or right is probably irrelevant at this level of corruption.

It's a charade. It's all the same rich-boys club; they eat the same caviar and drink the same champagne, buy the same kinds of yachts. I can't believe people are so dense as to believe there is any interest in their well being on the part of the federal government.

a reply to: Krazysh0t
How'd they get convicted before a jury or judge if there wasn't evidence against them? You're asking me to explain why so many are in prison? It's troubling. That's my answer. What are crime rates in poor white neighborhoods? And it does appear that rich people get off a lot easier than poor folk. Remember that guy who killed Sam Kinison while driving drunk? He got off for affluenza. Same thing happened to another rich kid recently - who killed someone. Affluenza.

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass

Such an inane reply, something ATS has become far too accustomed to lately.

Even in liberal Scandinavia who bend over backwards for minorities are seeing a huge influx of Africans in the prison system. Why is that? Why is it so hard to believe that due to culture one is prone to criminal activity? I mean, whites didn't invent gangster rap where shooting others, having sex with whores, and shooting up/selling drugs is the *in* thing to do.

Instead of blaming others for ones own faults, perhaps they should start looking at themselves? Can't blame everything on "whitey" forever.

a reply to: Fylgje

I'm not saying that there isn't a rich/poor divide, but there is also clearly a racial divide as well.

originally posted by: guitarplayer

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
By legislating morality. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, abortion these are all moral issues. Keep in mind, there is not a single clause in the Constitution that says the government is allowed to oversee morality. Legislating morality has its roots in Christian fundamentalism. But what happened, is that business interests trying to squeeze out competition (ex: paper industry vs hemp industry) hijacked these moral crusades that these Christian fundamentalists (mostly from the late 1800's to early 1900's) were going to ramrod illegality as the solution to these "problems". The fact that the wrong solutions were pushed for the made up problems is never considered. Just keep yelling, "DRUGS ARE BAD!" and eventually everyone starts believing you.

How can we roll these laws back if they are based on a religious tenants? Is that not the esablisment of a religion?

Well for one, it's made up dogma. There is no Christian tenants against any of those morality issues. They were all made up by judgmental Christians in the late 1800's And for two, we catered to their religion in the first place when we put those laws on the books. So technically they violate the 1st amendment. Of course in my opinion they violate more than just the 1st amendment.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: Fylgje

Seriously, if you commit a crime you go to jail. It doesn't matter what color you are. Now there is a different set of laws for the rich and poor, though. That I do believe. But keep in mind that there are far more poorer white people than there are black people.

It's funny you say that there is no racial preference for people being convicted and sent to jail then make the statement that there are more poor white people than there are black people (unsourced) while also saying that there is a divide between poor and rich. Well if all those unsourced claims are true, please explain this:

However, In order to see bias you have to compare incarceration rates to rates of crime committed, yes?
If one group commits more robberies, say than another, then of course they would have a higher rate of arrest and incarceration for robbery. One has to look at a situation from more than one angle before one can declare bias or not.

Sure, AA and Latinos have a higher per capita incarceration rate, but they also have a higher per capita commission rate as well. There is a lot more to it than "the system is racist."

www.cga.ct.gov...

a reply to: NavyDoc

Factors affecting incarceration rates

In 2013, the United States had the highest rate of incarceration in the world. In the 1980s U.S. legislation issued a number of new drug laws with stiffer penalties that ranged from drug possession to drug trafficking. Many of those charged with drug crimes saw longer prison sentences and less judicial leniency when facing trial. The War on Drugs has furthered the boom in prison population even though violent crime has continued to steadily decrease.[clarification needed]

A lot of urban areas in the U.S. have a majority black population. With crime tendencies high in these areas, drugs are also prevalent. This means that a greater percentage of those in prison are going to be black because law enforcement is already concentrated in the areas with high violent crime and drug crime. With this new drug legislation, the U.S. government has increased the use of incarceration for social control which has resulted in "sharper disproportionate effects on African Americans."[4]

The current prison complex serves as a punitive system in which mass incarceration has become the response to problems in society. Field studies regarding prison conditions describe behavioral changes produced by prolonged institutionalization, and conclude that imprisonment undermines the social life of inmates by exacerbating criminality or impairing their capacity for normal social interaction. Moreover, this racial disparity in imprisonment, particularly with African Americans, subjects them to political subordination by destroying their positive connection with society.[12] Institutional factors – such as the prison industrial complex itself – become enmeshed in everyday lives, so much so that prisons no longer function as “law enforcement” systems.[13]

Crime in poorer urban neighborhoods is linked to increased rates of mass incarceration, as job opportunities decline and people turn to crime for survival.[14] Crime among low-education men is often linked to the economic decline among unskilled workers.[14] These economic problems are also tied to reentry into society after incarceration. Data from the Washington State Department of Corrections and Employment Insurance records show how “the wages of black ex-inmates grow about 21 percent more slowly each quarter after release than the wages of white ex-inmates.”[15]

Black ex-inmates earn 10 percent less than white ex-inmates post incarceration.[15]

Take all that how you want. To me that looks like institutionalized racism mixed with institutionalized classism.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: NavyDoc

Factors affecting incarceration rates

In 2013, the United States had the highest rate of incarceration in the world. In the 1980s U.S. legislation issued a number of new drug laws with stiffer penalties that ranged from drug possession to drug trafficking. Many of those charged with drug crimes saw longer prison sentences and less judicial leniency when facing trial. The War on Drugs has furthered the boom in prison population even though violent crime has continued to steadily decrease.[clarification needed]

A lot of urban areas in the U.S. have a majority black population. With crime tendencies high in these areas, drugs are also prevalent. This means that a greater percentage of those in prison are going to be black because law enforcement is already concentrated in the areas with high violent crime and drug crime. With this new drug legislation, the U.S. government has increased the use of incarceration for social control which has resulted in "sharper disproportionate effects on African Americans."[4]

The current prison complex serves as a punitive system in which mass incarceration has become the response to problems in society. Field studies regarding prison conditions describe behavioral changes produced by prolonged institutionalization, and conclude that imprisonment undermines the social life of inmates by exacerbating criminality or impairing their capacity for normal social interaction. Moreover, this racial disparity in imprisonment, particularly with African Americans, subjects them to political subordination by destroying their positive connection with society.[12] Institutional factors – such as the prison industrial complex itself – become enmeshed in everyday lives, so much so that prisons no longer function as “law enforcement” systems.[13]

Crime in poorer urban neighborhoods is linked to increased rates of mass incarceration, as job opportunities decline and people turn to crime for survival.[14] Crime among low-education men is often linked to the economic decline among unskilled workers.[14] These economic problems are also tied to reentry into society after incarceration. Data from the Washington State Department of Corrections and Employment Insurance records show how “the wages of black ex-inmates grow about 21 percent more slowly each quarter after release than the wages of white ex-inmates.”[15]

Black ex-inmates earn 10 percent less than white ex-inmates post incarceration.[15]

Take all that how you want. To me that looks like institutionalized racism mixed with institutionalized classism.

From my link above:

This data indicates that the arrest rate for blacks for murder was 10 to 15 times as high as for whites, five to six times the rate for whites for sexual assault, eight to nine times as high for robbery, four to five times as high for aggravated assault, and between two to three times as high for burglary.

Are you suggesting that racism makes a certain group rape, rob, and murder more than other groups?