Race and the Incarceration of African American Males

Introduction

While the nation has recognized the significance of having the first African American man as President, clearly societal issues of race are still very prevalent in the United States in the 21st century. What is striking about the discussion of race is how frequently national attention to these issues is focused on race and the criminal justice system. In 1954, the year of the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, about 100,000 African Americans incarcerated in America's prisons and jails. Following that decision, there has been a half century of enhanced opportunity for many people for whom it had previously been denied, and significant numbers of people of color have gained leadership positions in society. Despite this sustained progress, within the criminal justice system, the figure of 100,000 incarcerated African Americans has now escalated to nearly 900,000.

The scale of these developments can be seen most vividly in research findings from the Department of Justice. If current trends continue, 1 of every 3 African American males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can 1 of every 6 Latino males, compared to 1 in 17 White males. For women, the overall figures are considerably lower, but the racial/ethnic disparities are similar: 1 of every 18 African American females, 1 of every 45 Hispanic females, and 1 of every 111 White females can expect to spend time in prison (Bonczar, 2003). High rates of criminal justice control can be documented not only by racial/ ethnic group but even more so in combination with age, since younger people have higher rates of involvement in the justice system. Thus, 1 in 13 African American males, in the age group 30 to 39 incarcerated in a state or federal prison on any given day and additional numbers are in local jails (West & Sabol, 2010).

Discussion

Incarceration and Arrest rates

To develop a rough estimate of these dynamics, we can begin by examining arrest rates. The main drawback of this method is that arrests may reflect law enforcement behavior, in addition to involvement in crime. Particularly in the case of drug offenses, this may not represent an accurate measure of the criminally associated population.

Law Enforcement Practices

In recent years, considerable media and policy maker attention has been focusing on law enforcement practices and their possible contributions to racial disparity. Beginning with high profile media accounts of racial profiling by state troopers on the New Jersey Turnpike in the 1990s, much public discussion has focused on the extent to which individual officers or agencies systematically detain or arrest persons of color on the basis of race. Litigation in a variety of jurisdictions has resulted in court orders for law enforcement agencies to engage in oversight and data collection of traffic stops. Other police activity to ensure that police officers are not engaging in unnecessary profiling (Woodworth, pp. 1411).

Prosecution

“And because the amount of time served and the rate of prison ...