Mass Incarceration In America Analysis

There are many topics discussed in class that relate to my topic of innocent people incarcerated in America. We looked at everything from definitions of race and ethnicity, to a movie showing us the actual bias in races and ethnicities in the criminal justice system. There were also readings we did that showed the discrimination and bias. We discussed social institutions. These are learned behavior from family, peers, education, and religion. These learned behaviors are what influences individuals to make judgements and preconceived bias towards others. Depending on the community or people you grew up with, you will have different views of other groups or ethnicities of people other than your own. We also discussed race and the causes of crime. The assumptions of this topic were causes, media portrayal, and the policy maker language. …show more content…
The movie chronicled how after the Civil War, African Americans were incarcerated in mass numbers. This resulted in the first prison boom in our country. If the Civil War resulted in African Americans being incarcerated, clearly the system was failing. There should not have been a mass incarceration of one race. The mass incarceration shows the disparity of justice in the system beginning in the 1960’s. This could be why the perceptions of African Americans being more guilty than White Americans seems to be a common thought among many Americans. The movie also outlined how the War on Drugs was actually a war on black communities. This War on Drugs was a way of incarcerating Black Americans, and doing it in large numbers. This could show how black Americans were seen as guilty, because they were being incarcerated in large