ForumGarden

30% of Black Men in Us Will Go to Jail

Black men born in the United States in 2001 will have a one in three chance of going to prison during their lifetime if current trends continue, according to a report by the US justice department. More than 5.6 million Americans are either in prison or have served time there - and that...

Black men born in the United States in 2001 will have a one in three chance of going to prison during their lifetime if current trends continue, according to a report by the US justice department.

More than 5.6 million Americans are either in prison or have served time there - and that number will continue to rise, the report shows.

By the end of 2001 one in every 37 Americans had some experience of prison, compared with one in 53 in 1974. Continuing at that rate, the proportion will increase to one in every 15 of those born in 2001.

In 2001 a sixth of African-American men were current or former prisoners, compared with one in 13 Latinos and one in 38 whites. The incarceration of women remains lower than of men but has increased at twice the rate since 1980 and shows similar racial disparities.

"Prison had become the social policy of choice for low income people of colour," says Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Sentencing Project, a group which promotes reduced reliance on imprisonment. "Nobody's stated it that way but we have inner-city areas starved of investment but no shortage of funds to build and fill prisons."

Those incarcerated for the first time accounted for two-thirds of the growth in prison population between 1974 and 2001. This is largely the result of the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing: one in four inmates in federal and state prisons is in for drug-related offences, most non-violent. "Every dollar spent on drug treatment is better employed reducing crime than one spent building prisons," said Mr Mauer.

The effect of high imprisonment rates goes beyond crime to employment and enfranchisement. More than 4 million prisoners or former prisoners are denied the right to vote, and in 12 states that ban remains for life.

The prison system also ill prepares people for release, making recidivism more likely. Only about 13% of prisoners take part in a pre-release programme.

"Our contemporary prisons basically replicate the social order that produced the offenders to begin with," Mark Kleiman, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Los Angeles, told the Atlantic Monthly.

I wonder how many were of middle- or upper middle-income families.



Why do people insist on color-coding these statistics?!? They're not incarcerated because they're black. They're incarerated because they've committed crimes. Okay, fine. We all know they're all innocent. They're incarcerated because they've been convicted of committing crimes. :yh_eyebro



Most crime comes from the inner city. Any arguments?



There is no cause-effect relationship between skin color and incarceration rate.

Culture

Families with no father in the house

Socio economic backgrounds

Statistics of drug or violent crime related incidents in predominately black neighborhoods

Gentrification

Statistics of unemployment rates in predominately black neighborhoods

Welfare recipient ratio between black and white neighborhoods





None of these things raise a flag acc ?

Nomad wrote: Culture

Families with no father in the house

Socio economic backgrounds

Statistics of drug or violent crime related incidents in predominately black neighborhoods

Gentrification

Statistics of unemployment rates in predominately black neighborhoods

Welfare recipient ratio between black and white neighborhoods





None of these things raise a flag acc ?Stop color-coding the statistics, my top-notch buddy, and we'll have complete agreement.



Families with no father in the house have no male role model in the house, so the odds increase that boys will look to the wrong males to model themselves after. Nothing to do with color, only learning & discipline.



Socio economic backgrounds have a definite impact on crime. Skin color does not.



Statistics of drug or violent crime related incidents in predominately black neighborhoods are color-coded statistics. Drug and violent crimes related incidents happen in poor neighborhoods more than more affluent ones. Nothing to do with the color of the skin. Check Atlanta, Georgia. Upper-middle-income, suburban, predominantly black neighborhoods likely have lower crime rates, dontcha think?



Gentrification. Had to look that up. It involves "the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses."

They buy the houses because it's a good deal, not because black people own them.



Statistics of unemployment rates in predominately black neighborhoods. Same answer for the drug/violent crime example.



Welfare recipient ratio between black and white neighborhoods. Welfare goes to POOR people. Oprah ain't on welfare.

Ok but if your denying that these types of situations are not occuring in black neighborhoods more than they occur in white neighborhoods then the problem might lie more in your perception of how you view societal issues rather than anything grounded in print on paper facts.

Also isnt there a direct correlation between the article on declining marriages amongst the black population and the fact that more black men are going to prison ?

More women are in college in the US than men now. That means more black women are getting educated. Those women will be seeking mates that shadow their own perceptions and life goals. If more black men are commiting crimes and being incarcerated who are these women going to raise families with ?

Nomad wrote: Ok but if your denying that these types of situations are not occuring in black neighborhoods more than they occur in white neighborhoods then the problem might lie more in your perception of how you view societal issues rather than anything grounded in print on paper facts.No denial that they're happening. Big denial that they're happening because of skin color.



Black people don't commit crimes as a result of being black.

Black people are not poor as a result of being black.

Black people don't take illicit drugs as a result of being black.

Black people are not dependent on welfare as a result of being black.



Maybe it was the case, but not anymore. Poverty in America today is a consequence of choices, behaviors, and attitudes, not melanin.

Nomad wrote: Also isnt there a direct correlation between the article on declining marriages amongst the black population and the fact that more black men are going to prison ?

More women are in college in the US than men now. That means more black women are getting educated. Those women will be seeking mates that shadow their own perceptions and life goals. If more black men are commiting crimes and being incarcerated who are these women going to raise families with ?Color is coincidental here, nothing more.

Accountable wrote: No denial that they're happening. Big denial that they're happening because of skin color.



Black people don't commit crimes as a result of being black.

Black people are not poor as a result of being black.

Black people don't take illicit drugs as a result of being black.

Black people are not dependent on welfare as a result of being black.



Maybe it was the case, but not anymore. Poverty in America today is a consequence of choices, behaviors, and attitudes, not melanin.


Im still unclear why you deny black people exist ? Do they ?

No crimes arent commited because of melanin. How can you deny though the disproportionate amount of young black men in jail ? 30% ? Thats alarming man ! This should trouble everyone !!! The reasons have a root cause and apparently they are unique or at least indicative of a very specific segment of the population and that segment has a darker pigment of skin color. Its in your face !

In 2001 a sixth of African-American men were current or former prisoners, compared with one in 13 Latinos and one in 38 whites. The incarceration of women remains lower than of men but has increased at twice the rate since 1980 and shows similar racial disparities.




While skin color isn't the cause, something sure is. The numbers are there in black and white (no pun intended) and there really isn't a way to remove the "race card". In order to "fix" the issue, one needs to understand it.

IMHO - the African American community is keeping the African American community "down". How many years can one section of the population scream about wrongs done to it? Honestly, how long can the "white community" and the "white government" be expected to pay for the slaves that were brought over from Africa? If a "white" person uses the "N" word - it is an insult but when a "black" man says it to another "black" man - it is a greeting.

BTW - I was married to an African American man for a decade. I filed for a divorce because he was mentally abusive and couldn't keep his pants on. His mother begged me to stay with him "for the children". Those would be the same girls that he has seen twice in the last 11 years.

Nomad wrote: Im still unclear why you deny black people exist ? Do they ?:yh_eyebro

Nomad wrote: No crimes arent commited because of melanin. How can you deny though the disproportionate amount of young black men in jail ? 30% ?They're overwhelmingly male also. Why aren't you upset about that?

I wonder about the proportion of obese vs thin people.

How big are their feet? Now there's an interesting statistic.

What's their favorite sport? Maybe there's a correlation. Nomad wrote: Thats alarming man ! This should trouble everyone !!!Why? Specifically, why?

A disproportionate number of blacks join the Army rather than the Air Force. Should that trouble me?

You keep telling me to be upset, but the only reason you've given is the color of their skin. Are you saying that they're innocent of committing crime, and are railroaded? Nomad wrote: The reasons have a root cause and apparently they are unique or at least indicative of a very specific segment of the population and that segment has a darker pigment of skin color. Its in your face !Wrong! Show me that a black man is more likely to commit a crime than a white man with the same background, then you might - MIGHT - have an axe to grind. If these guys are innocent and you're claiming the cops and judges are racist, you might have an argument. Just pointing out that they're black means nothing. There are other factors far more correlative.



The statistics you cite compare black against white as if it means something. If it does, you're saying criminal behavior is in their DNA. Is that what you believe?



A meaningful statistic would be finding the type neighborhood the average thug comes from. Then break that type neighborhood into the color categories you seem to think are so important. But you're not done yet, her are the questions to ask:

What is the ratio of whites in that type neighborhood that are convicted?

What is the ratio of blacks in that type of neighborhood that are conviced?

Compare the two ratios. Only then will you come even close to something meaningful enough to get you stirred up. If those ratios are disproportionate, you might have something..... might.

Wrong! Show me that a black man is more likely to commit a crime than a white man with the same background, then you might - MIGHT - have an axe to grind. If these guys are innocent and you're claiming the cops and judges are racist, you might have an argument. Just pointing out that they're black means nothing. There are other factors far more correlative.









Ya think ?

:-2 ................ :yh_wait .................. waiting ................

Accountable wrote: :-2 ................ :yh_wait .................. waiting ................




No argument from me.

So why is it happening ?

Sorry, I'm no sure where we are right now. Are we upset about too many black people in jail or that poor inner-city neighborhoods promote crime?

(Note: promote's not the best word, but it's all I could think of right now.)

I would submit that many in the black community consider themselves entitled to welfare or what ever due to they fact their ancestors where slaves. This is flawed thinking because until the black community reject this I am a victim attitude not much will change. One thing that is also left out of these studies is that most black crime is committed against other black people. So I guess if we make black on black crime leagl than less black men will go to the pen.

also a good point to remember is that a 100% of white people in prison are not there just coz they are white :rolleyes:

In the UK only one in ten of the prison population have no mental health disorder.

Fundamental to brain health is Vitamin d status. You cannot have optimal feelings of wellbeing and optimal cognitive function without adequate levels of Vitamin D.

Because it is brown skins need five times the exposure and black skines ten times as long as white skins to make the same amount of Vitamin D people with darker coloured skins have relatively more mental illness.

Until such time as doctors routinely monitor Vitamin D status and ensure everyone has a status above 100nmol/L whatever colour their skin this disparity in mental illness and prison sentencing will continue.

You may find this explanation the way low vitamin D status adversely affect the mental health of those with darker skins informative.

jimbo;624113 wrote: also a good point to remember is that a 100% of white people in prison are not there just coz they are white :rolleyes:
Ummmmm .... :yh_think



I missed yer point. Sorry. What are the other stats? :yh_glasse

Mostly a result of socio-economics and not race..