Native American Mass Incarceration

Issues with the American judicial system and mass incarceration are subjects that we, in our modern state, hear and see often on all major media outlets on what seems like a daily basis. Of course, when we do hear about judicial issues like mass incarceration, we typically only hear about these abuses of power in relation to African Americans and the struggle they face and we very seldom hear about those of other groups. Native American’s are one of those groups that face this form of prejudice. Modern Native American communities face instances of over and under-policing, a labyrinth of judicial difficulty, and mass incarceration. Within Native communities, however, there is another distinction: Native women, specifically, are targets of these …show more content…
Of course there is the overlying stereotype of incarcerated mothers being “unfit” to raise children, but Native mothers face additional challenges rooted in their cultural traditions. Most Native mothers unite in groups to comfort themselves in practicing cultural activities such as prayer groups to deal with pregnancy and separation. White women tend to isolate themselves post-pregnancy. Often times, Native women are not allowed to practice tribal customs, religious practices, or other traditions. Many prison officials lack the understanding of Native traditions to allow prisoners to access the appropriate services to practice those traditions. Native American men in incarceration, for unknown reasons, are more likely to gain this …show more content…
Studies of various states and tribes have found that four to forty-nine percent of Native American women have been victims of some sort of sexual assault. The assaults of these women are often more severe than those of non-Natives; ninety-four percent of sexual assaults of Native women involved physical assault, half of which result in serious physical injury. In contrast, non-Native women have a seventy-four percent chance of physical assault during her sexual assault, and thirty percent of them suffer serious physical injury. Nearly three-times as many sexual assaults involve weapon when Natives are