Incarceration Controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White Men - Essay Example

Incarceration Controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White Men The of the Introduction Proposal of the topic 2. The issue of incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men between the ages of 25 to 29 3. Objective factors causing involvement of African American men in crimes 4. Subjective reasons of African American men’s imprisonment 5. Consequences of the high percentage of black men’s incarceration, or the extension of the problem 6. The possible ways of the improvement of the issue Conclusion Incarceration Controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White Men It is deplorable that racial inequality between different races and ethnicities is still an acute issue in the USA. This problem affects almost all aspects of Americans’ life, from the preferences given by employers for White workers compared with African Americans and Latinos through the large majority of White Americans among the prestigious educational institutions and up to the primary membership of White Americans at all levels of the government, including local and national scales. In fact, such a picture gives a clear view of the general situation in multiracial America, where White Americans remain the most privileged ones, while African Americans, Latinos and other races in their majority are forced to live in worse circumstances. In particular, the case of incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men between the ages of 25 to 29 may serve as a vivid example of racial inequality in legislation and judiciary of America. Our choice of the topic scenario No 3 is determined by the personal interest in the questions of racial inequality. The whole case is that this phenomenon shocks by its misfit to our vision of a modern democratic world where race makes no matter, as it goes in our understanding. Dealing every day with the representatives of every race and ethnicity erases the boundaries between skin colors and washes out different racial prejudices. Still the great number of African American men compared to the Hispanics and White among the US prisoners suggests that there are probably some subjective factors at the bottom. In this respect it is of a great importance to find out the reasons, which appear to be the source of such a situation for African American males between the ages of 25 to 29. This comes altogether with a sub-theme of the living factors causing the problem state of African American men’s incarceration in comparison to Latinos and White Americans, as well as a question of racial prejudices in the criminal justice system, and the influence of extremely large rates of imprisonment for the subsequent extension of the issue – all this is of a great interest for learning and a great concern for us. Our particular task is in-depth sequential research of all these factors for the consideration of the whole state of the analyzed problem. Another useful aspect of the topic is its importance for the study of cultural diversity, since it touches the life of African Americans, the Hispanics and White Americans, and describes the peculiarities of their co-existence within one polyethnic country, the USA. So the detailed research of the incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men may bring particular clarity for the improvement of the situation of unequal approach to the criminal affairs committed by different races. Our strong belief is that there are must be numerous strategies and tactics able to reform the life of African Americans starting from the social security through their support in the questions of receiving of accredited education and obtaining employment to the alternative of the effective unbiased defense in the cases of criminal trials. One way or another, incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men between the ages of 25 to 29 is the problem that needs its solution as quick as it is possible, for its state changes with every minute without any good for African Americans specifically. Statistic data show that there is a wide margin of African American men to be imprisoned versus the numbers of Latinos and White males of the age group between 25 and 29 years old. “When broken out by race and ethnicity, striking differences appear: incarceration rates for African American men are over six times higher than rates for white men and nearly two and a half times higher than rates for Hispanic men” (McDaniel et al., 2013). It may be seen as just a reflection of reality, in which black men are malicious law breakers. Still if to probe deeper it becomes obvious that particular hidden circumstances are behind the external simplicity of the issue. In this context there is use of the incidents of criminal prosecution, convictions, prison sentences, and terms of imprisonment in the clearing of the problem state. They evident discriminatory treatment of African American men, though officially it comes according to state laws. For example, many of them have experienced stopping of a car by policemen just because of the black skin (so-called ‘driving while black’) as if there is a regular check of availability of drugs (Mauer, 1999). This and other examples prove the fact that there is certain bias towards black men, and it is worth nothing to set them up with following prosecution and trials. In such a way numerous frame-up cases occur, in which African American men may be involved just because of racial prejudices. Moreover, many incidents of serious accusations brought against black men as well as severity of penalties for their remediation as opposed to lighter sentences of White underline once again the racial inequality of justice system. All in all now it doesn’t seem that high rates of African American men’s incarceration accounts just for the high percentage of criminality among them. So let’s see the real factors, which influence African Americans’ involvement in crimes. Unfortunately, there are objective and subjective reasons of the issue, and both are of an unnerving forecast. It is well-known that the vast majority of the black people are behind income poverty line. If among African American females there is a striving for getting of education, then it doesn’t so widely spread among black males. In any case, not many of them can obtain a higher education in typical academic institutions without mentioning privileged ones, since their income is just enough for essential needs. As a result, there is almost no way for getting of well-paid work without diploma of higher education that is resulted in the absence of comfortable earnings. All together this may push African American men to the thought of dirty income as the only possible alternative for life support of themselves and their families. “In 2006 … more African American men ages 20–34 without a high school diploma or GED were behind bars (37%) than employed (26%)” (Aflcio.org, 2011). Another reason of high unemployment among black men rises due to the unwillingness of employers to hire nonwhites. Consequently, out-of-work poor black men are just forced to cross the crime line, as they have no social state support and guaranties for their flourishing being. Realizing of the fact that White people have those goods, which are inaccessible for African Americans, just complicates the whole situation of racial inequality. As we can see, both objective reasons have their roots in the skin color of Black and cause their existence to be separated from the tempting and fulfilling life of White Americans. Inevitably, this factor may serve as stimulator for perpetrations by African Americans with the purpose of wealth possessing on equal terms with people of White descent. As for the subjective reasons of African American men’s involvement into criminality, there is a key aspect of racial prejudices on the part of state officials, such as, policemen, lawmakers, lawyers, and judges. Probably, it is due to the fact of unjust system of justice with its numerous baseless prenotions that there are so high rates of imprisonment among African American men between the ages of 25 to 29 opposed to Latinos and White. In fact, racial discrimination in the judicial system must be considered in the ration between White and Black law officials. Only “About 98% of the Judges are White. Black men are 8 times more likely to be put in prison then White men. When it comes to death sentences, 74% of them are given to Black men” (Travis, 2013). So it comes without question that these dismals are the aftereffects of almost total absence of African Americans among judiciary. Furthermore, aggravation of the situation of black men’s vulnerability during proceedings is caused by the small percentage of black lawmakers and lawyers. As it has been mentioned above, African Americans cannot afford themselves studying in prestigious law schools due to the lack of money. So it is evident that there is even little possibility of black men to be defensed by the lawyers of the same skin color who have the fewest reasons for prejudices. And it is well-known that service of a good jurist of White or other descent is costly, thereafter they are inaccessible for most African Americans. The same situation is observed in legislation, where there is hardly 10 percent of Black among the total number of Congressmen (Travis, 2013), so there is a big question who can stand for the legislative protection of Black. The aforesaid subjective reasons suggest African American men to be a risk group in the relation of racial inequality and prejudices in legislation and judiciary, which final verdict shapes the future of black people. Finally, talking about the whole issue of the extremely high percentage of African American inmates of the age group of 25-29 years compared to the Hispanics and White men of the same age, its general aftermath must be researched. Naturally, all people after discharge from jail face the need of adaptation to a new life with its new demands and restrictions towards ex-imprisoners. Still in the case of African Americans their limited being becomes even more aggrieved, namely: in many states they are deprived of voting rights, they cannot get gainful employment; they have a kind of a spot on their reputation, which worsens the existence to the extent that they stop perceiving themselves as insiders of society. In some relation society really rejects ex-offenders, since they are not freemen. These factors alongside with misfortunes of African Americans’ background (poverty, racial inequality, and so on) may cause the second or further involvement in earnings by dishonest means (or in other words, crime) in the absence of better variant. In such a way the whole negative scenario repeats with the following arrest, trial and sentencing. And the primary cause for this is social invulnerability and financial instability of African American men, who are eager to be equal with White males in their wealth and social status of people without any restrictions due to their skin color. As it has been noted in proposal, there must be concrete steps of the US Government on the way of its social politics regarding to the life of African Americans in particular, and every race and ethnicity in general. Addressing to the topic of incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men between the ages of 25 to 29, we must emphasize the following potential measures of improvement of the situation by the practical minimization of its occurrence, namely: wider empowerment of talented black youth for obtaining of a higher education with their further financial support in the form of study grants and fellowships, active state assurance in questions of black’s employment, provision of a good free unbiased lawyer in the case of a trial. In a word, American governors have to reconsider their treatment of African Americans with the purpose of effective improvement of their living conditions with a long-termed perspective of a flourishing free of crimes future. On the whole the issue of incarceration controversy between African American, Hispanic, and White men between the ages of 25 to 29 raises the question of racial inequality and racial prejudices in legislation and judiciary of the USA. Numerous objective (black’s poverty and discrimination) and subjective (racial bias of policemen, lawmakers, lawyers and judges towards African Americans in comparison to White) factors determine the acute state of the analyzed problem in American society. There is a great responsibility as well as ability to improve the situation that is in the hands of the US Government, which key purpose in this respect is supporting of fulfilling equal living conditions for every race and ethnicity within the country. References Aflcio.org.(2011). Mass incarceration. Retrieved May 12 from: http://www.aflcio.org/content/download/99211/2670221/Incareceration.pdf Mauer, M. (1999). The crisis of the young African American male and the criminal justice system. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, April 15-16 (1999), 1-18. Retrieved May 12 from: http://www.northstarnews.com/userimages/references/African%20American%20Males%20and%20Criminal%20Justice.1999_Sentencing%20Project.pdf McDaniel, M., Simms, M., Monson, W., & Fortuny, K. (2013). Imprisonment and disenfranchisement of disconnected low-income men. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 4(2013), 1-10. Retrieved May 12 from: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/13/LowIncomeMen/Imprisonment/rpt_imprisonment.pdf Travis, M.(2013). African Americans still facing discrimination. HubPages.com. Retrieved May 12 from: http://micheletravis.hubpages.com/hub/African-Americans-Still-Facing-Discrimination Read More