Is race the primary cause of incarceration in USA? And why justice system give black criminals harsh punishments as compare to their white counterparts?
This is a great question with a really complex answer that is rooted in the history of America. Like @Esther said, it is not as simple as many people think and the answer doesn't just lie with poverty or overpolicing in certain communities.
The origin of police began as slave patrols and overtime became enforcers of social order and laws we established as our nation grew. During those times, Black people regularly had targets on their backs and were subject to constant violence and discrimination. Even if they were innocent of a crime, they were rarely believed especially when the accuser was a white person, in particular, a white woman. Overtime this discrimination created a narrative of the criminal black man, and they have been seen that way ever since.
Compounding the issue of incarceration of Black people was their life sentence to poverty by banks and county officials. In the 1930s, Roosevelt passed the New Deal's National Housing Act which encouraged Americans to buy homes by offering federal loans after the Great Depression. However, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) limited these loans to prospective white buyers and drew literal red lines around predominantly Black neighborhoods where loans would not be offered. This became known as redlining which essentially locked Black citizens into poverty-stricken neighborhoods and denied any financial assistance to prospective black homeowners.
So, poverty, overpolicing, and negative stereotypes all combine to form a horrendous injustice to Black Americans by denying them opportunities, forcing them to find other means of financial security, disproportionately incarcerating black males, making children grow up without positive role-models, and then beginning the cycle all over again.
While this is short version of my understanding of race and crime, there is still so much I am probably missing which deserves as much attention so we can begin to overcome bias and racism in the CJ system.
Racism is definitely not the main cause of incarceration. This particular topic is not as simple as a lot of people think it is. Also, I think a lot of people get blinded by their emotions, so they just join the bandwagon and ignore all the details that’s staring right at them, which explains why almost everyone is running with the wrong narrative.
I don't think racism is the main factor contributing to black people going to jail. I think the matter is far more complex. Poverty contributes to crimes and them getting to jail also
Hi Ayesha,
This is a great question with a really complex answer that is rooted in the history of America. Like @Esther said, it is not as simple as many people think and the answer doesn't just lie with poverty or overpolicing in certain communities.
The origin of police began as slave patrols and overtime became enforcers of social order and laws we established as our nation grew. During those times, Black people regularly had targets on their backs and were subject to constant violence and discrimination. Even if they were innocent of a crime, they were rarely believed especially when the accuser was a white person, in particular, a white woman. Overtime this discrimination created a narrative of the criminal black man, and they have been seen that way ever since.
Compounding the issue of incarceration of Black people was their life sentence to poverty by banks and county officials. In the 1930s, Roosevelt passed the New Deal's National Housing Act which encouraged Americans to buy homes by offering federal loans after the Great Depression. However, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) limited these loans to prospective white buyers and drew literal red lines around predominantly Black neighborhoods where loans would not be offered. This became known as redlining which essentially locked Black citizens into poverty-stricken neighborhoods and denied any financial assistance to prospective black homeowners.
So, poverty, overpolicing, and negative stereotypes all combine to form a horrendous injustice to Black Americans by denying them opportunities, forcing them to find other means of financial security, disproportionately incarcerating black males, making children grow up without positive role-models, and then beginning the cycle all over again.
While this is short version of my understanding of race and crime, there is still so much I am probably missing which deserves as much attention so we can begin to overcome bias and racism in the CJ system.
Racism is definitely not the main cause of incarceration. This particular topic is not as simple as a lot of people think it is. Also, I think a lot of people get blinded by their emotions, so they just join the bandwagon and ignore all the details that’s staring right at them, which explains why almost everyone is running with the wrong narrative.
I don't think racism is the main factor contributing to black people going to jail. I think the matter is far more complex. Poverty contributes to crimes and them getting to jail also