Incarceration And Crime Analysis

The United States has seen rapid increases in the incarceration rate in recent periods. There are some possible factors contributing to this increase, especially after reading what Michelle Alexander discussed in the excerpt from her book. It was quite interesting to read that the incarceration rate has increased although the crime rate has not increased. In the video of deviance it said that race, class, and gender are factors that play significantly to decide who goes to jail or prison. To answer the question that was asked in the reading of Alexander, “Where are all the black males,” most black men are incarcerated today not only because they committed a crime, but their race had a major role in their incarceration. Based on the deviance video, males of black color are six to eight times more likely to get arrested compared to a white male. The reason why I believe that males of black color are more likely of getting arrested for doing the same crime as a white male is to keep the black population down. By decreasing the number of the black male population, it means that there will be less black males at the voting poll for elections. They cannot even participate in a jury if they have a criminal record. According to the reading of Alexander, more African American adults are under correctional control today—in prison or jail, on probation or parole—than were enslaved in 1850 (Alexander 2010). Police officers are given the discretion of arresting anyone they find suspicious of …show more content…
By continuing arresting black people, it will enable the black community to fully be represented in the elections. The current social justice system will also make it difficult for the black minority to rise up in the social hierarchy. They will always be treated less, unfair, and it will be hard for them to get a good employment to rise up from poverty and poor