Black incarceration is 5 times that then whites; Do we still blame that on the stigma of slavery?

Question

Or is the problem soley that of the black community?

Answer 1

No.

Look, This is America, land of the free, where we have the right to persue happiness regardless of religion, color or creed. The fact is that despite this, AND despite the fact that reverse discrimination in the form of extra opportunities measured out to minorities JUST because they are of color while the single white male bears more than his fair share of the tax burden in these united states... despite ALL of this the jails fill up with black folks and some of them have the unmitigated GALL to STILL point the finger at "whitey" the very SAME whitey who has gone without so there could be special grants for black people, special treatment for american indians, special job programs for ILLEGAL mexican immigrants, and more. WHere is the responsibility instead of the feeling of entitlement. Where is the finger that should be pointed at the scumbag, thug, gangster rappers who soil their communities with their mindless drivel, and treat their fellows like Idi Amin did in Uganda, keeping the lions share of the wealth for himself and even escaping to Saudi Arabia with it and allowing his people to starve?

And this crap about racial profiling, somebody please wake these idiots up and give me a friggin' break!!!! Listen folks, if you aren't involved in criminal activity then does it REALLY matter if some racist cop pulls you over every day?!! Keep the baggies of crack out of your pocket and get a real job and it WON'T MATTER!!!!

Do the crime , do the time.

Answer 2

I'm seeing alot of oversymplifying going on here. Angel, you have a point for those who wish to view this problem through a racist lens, but it's alot more complex than the it's-because-of-racism view vs the it's-because-of-race (white on black racist) view. I think some of the higher rates of incarceration may be due to racism, but it also goes beyond that. It could very well be a problem of culture. The current *majority* (not all) black culture, like it or, glorifies sex, violence, drugs, etc. This perpetuates criminal attitudes and more violence.

Think about it: Asians are less likely than white people to commit crimes, but obviously white people - at least according to the current P.C. mindset - are not suffering from more "racism" and "profiling" than their Asian counterparts. So, unless you want to suggest that white people are inferior to Asians, culture again seems to be the answer. For example, Asian culture, perhaps more than other (and certainly more than recent European cultures) stresses obedience to authority, respect of ancestors and leaders, and so on. Some might reply to this, "Saying their culture is partly responsible for the higher incarceration rates is just as bad as saying their race is responsible for it!" Not at all. Culture is fluid, it can change and adapt with the times -- European culture certainly has changed.

Don't fall into the trap of the black-and-white only argument; it's a strawman that doesn't represent the whole issue. Racists use this strawman to try to validate White Supremacy or other similar causes, and P.C. extremists use it to try to bully anyone who doesn't accept the symplified "it's because of racism" by lumping them right in with the White Supremacists -- even though they're not.

Answer 3

Unless you believe blacks are fundamentally born different than whites (thus having a racist philosophy), then the increased incarceration is likely due to prejudice and racism.

If you want to know where or when the racism occurs (stigma from slavery, etc), then you need to hold constant other factors. For example, blacks tend to be poorer than average, and poor people tend to commit more crimes than average. So racism could be making blacks poor, not necessarily making them commit more crimes. Other factors to look at are various levels of education, training, social networking and family status. For example, if black parents have lower family status then their offspring will also have lower status on average. This relationship is also true for whites. Thus, previous racism could cause current incarceration differences.

Some of the conservatives will of course blame affirmative action or other liberal policies for racial differentials. I think you will find that there is no evidence for it, nor does it make any sense to me. Perhaps that is another question.

The fact that a third of black families are middle class shows we have been making incredible progress, but the statistics you cite above shows we have a long way yet to go.

Answer 4

Most crime is the result of poverty and living conditions. If blacks on the whole are committing more crimes in America, it is because they have less opportunity, poorer living conditions, and a more negative environment than white people. There is a small extent to which you can blame the black community for not fighting negative attitudes and symbols in their culture, but these attitudes and symbols are the direct result of the circumstances that most blacks are born into. At this point, I hardly think slavery is to blame, but racism in general is a big part of it. This is a problem of society as a whole, not just the black community. So ultimately we are ALL responsible for this, white and black.

Answer 5

It's both the residual affects of slavery and discrimination, continuing racism subliminal racism and and the black community with the ingrained affects of slavery that are being passed down from generation. The idea that racism is gone is a fallacy. You can't stop the "effects" or racism until you completely eradicate the racism and stop the passing down of poisonous ideas from generation to generation on both sides or all sides.

Answer 6

Much of the black community still lives below the poverty line, and with poverty you get crime...

The problem is the black communities are typically poor communities...(ghetto's). The living conditions make crime more appealing...people start trying to take shortcuts.. like selling drugs, or robbery, or worse.

The problem is too many ghetto's exist throughout America, in every city. Education is the only solution for black people to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty and crime. Young people need better role models, and better direction. Plenty of people who live in the ghetto's are fed up with the violence and drugs. In my area they are working with the police more and more and lately crime has dropped alot here.

Answer 7

Everything you own comes from theft. Stolen labor from Blacks, stole half a country from Mexico, stole oil from Venezuela, fruits from Central America, copper from CHile....
Your government is made up of white men. They make laws that profit white men and put everyone else in jail. Blacks are more likely to get pulled over, to get harsh sentences, to be KILLED by police than whites.
You want to talk about stigma? white people need to deal with the stigma that they have never achieved anything and that they own nothing they have not stolen. Please, deal with it, and stop murdering us and robbing us.
Try to develop a talent so that history does not put you down as the thieves you have been so far.

Answer 8

you should be more accurate. The "RATE" is higher. There actually more whites than Blacks in prison; especially federal prison.

You can blame it on slavery. But I prefer to blame it on racism TODAY. Afterall, there is discretion at every level of the justice system and white people get the benefit of the doubt.

FACT: the average sentence for a Black person serving time for a drug offense is about the same time as white person serving time for a violent offense.

Answer 9

actually, a lot of the problem is more of a class issue, since lower classes in America are more ethnically diverse than middle and upper classes. people with lower incomes and less education don't know their rights, can't afford the best lawyer they want, and are often used to being suspected of crimes so they get tired of fighting back. it's not really a slavery thing, so much as a class issue.

Answer 10

If blacks commit crimes five times more than whites it only stands to reason there would five times more blacks incarcerated than whites.

I'm sorry if someone commits a crime and they go to jail I'm not taking the fall for him being there. It's their fault!