Series dedicated to a constant fear of mine
shared by brianpittmanusa on Oct 03
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This series is dedicated to a constant fear of mine...I do not want to spend the rest of my life in a cell. Even though, I am not in a prison cell, I feel that I am in a figurative prison as a "free" ...
man. Constantly afraid...constantly angry.Will the police arrest me because they mistakenly think I am the suspect they are searching for? Or worse...will they shoot me first then arrest me?
Incarceration Trends in America
Between 1980 and 2015, the number of people incarcerated in America increased from roughly 500,000 to< over 2.2 million
Today, the United States makes up about 5% of the world’s population and has 21% of the world’s prisoners.
1 in every 37 adults in the United States, or 2.7% of the adult population, is under some form of correctional supervision.
Contributing Factors
Inner city crime prompted by social and economic isolation
Crime/drug arrest rates: African Americans represent 12% of monthly drug users, but comprise 32% of persons arrested for drug possession
“Get tough on crime” and “war on drugs” policies
Mandatory minimum sentencing, especially disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine possession
In 2002, blacks constituted more than 80% of the people sentenced under the federal crack cocaine laws and served substantially more time in prison for drug offences than did whites, despite that fact that more than 2/3 of crack cocaine users in the U.S. are white or Hispanic
“Three Strikes”/habitual offender policies
Zero Tolerance policies as a result of perceived problems of school violence; adverse affect on black children
35% of black children grades 7-12 have been suspended or expelled at some point in their school careers compared to 20% of Hispanics and 15% of whites.
Source
http://brianpittman.com/Category
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