A Testimony on How Mass Incarceration Negatively Affects The Community Around Me

Introduction

My name is Angie Canas, and I am currently enrolled in Hartford Public High School Law & Government. This testimony is being submitted to the Criminal Justice System Reform Committee to express how mass incarceration affects the community around me. Mass incarceration impacts a significant number of people, especially minority men. They are placed in jails or prisons, where jails are typically for shorter terms, often while awaiting trial or for misdemeanors, and prisons are for longer terms due to serious crimes or state/national felonies. This issue of incarcerating people began in the 1970s (Allison, 2018). During the 1970s, there were about 200,000-300,000 people incarcerated (Mauer & King, 2007). Since then, we now have 2.2 million people incarcerated, which is eight times the amount since the 1970s (Mauer & King, 2007).

Racial Disparities in Incarceration

The national race data per 100,000 is revealing. The race with the lowest number of incarcerated individuals is 412 white men, compared to the highest, which is 2,290 black men. This is a 1:9 ratio, meaning that for every white male incarcerated, nine black men are also incarcerated. For Hispanics, 742 people of this race are incarcerated, and this is just national data. Examining these numbers shows that black men are disproportionately incarcerated. In Connecticut, 2,535 black men are incarcerated compared to 211 white men (Mauer & King, 2007). This represents a staggering difference between the number of incarcerated individuals. Black men are 12 times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. For Hispanics, for every white male, there are 6.6 Hispanic males incarcerated, with 1,401 Hispanic individuals incarcerated (Mauer & King, 2007).

Theories on Mass Incarceration

Michelle Alexander and the film "The 13th" argue that mass incarceration is a new method of social control over minorities. Alexander suggests we are facing a "New Jim Crow," which legally allows segregation based on the status of a felon. The imprisonment rates started rising due to the War on Drugs, a period when more black males began getting arrested more often than other races. The War on Drugs targeted the underclass, those born into a cycle of arrests and incarceration due to unequal privileges like social class (Allison, 2018).

Conversely, Stephanie Bibas disagrees with Alexander. He argues that the New Jim Crow is incorrect, although he admits the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate globally, with only 1/20 of the world population but 25% of the world's prisoners (Bibas, 2018). The prison population boom was attributed to racism and the War on Drugs, especially long sentences for nonviolent drug crimes. However, Bibas contends that only 1/5 of the charges were for drugs; 2/3 of the charges were for violent and property crimes. Most drug offenders also have violent and property crime charges. Black Democrats also played a role in setting tougher laws, as they were affected and sought to address the issue (Bibas, 2018).

Personal Perspective and Impact on Communities

I agree with Michelle Alexander's view on mass incarceration. Prisons were established by white supremacy, and they wielded power to incarcerate a large number of black people. Approximately 8% of the black population is incarcerated. During the War on Drugs, police used crack as a pretext to arrest black men, leading to a rise in incarceration rates. This is another form of the New Jim Crow, where it's legal to segregate based on the status of a felon, disproportionately affecting black individuals with drug charges.

Others argue that mass incarceration began with the War on Drugs during the 1980s and resulted from the crack cocaine epidemic. Alexander agrees with the crack epidemic's role but asserts that the government used it as an excuse to incarcerate black individuals.

Conclusion and Call to Action

In conclusion, mass incarceration is the New Jim Crow and serves as an excuse for the government to arrest more black people. Mass incarceration has negatively impacted urban communities' quality of life. The number of children with incarcerated parents is as high as 2.3 million, or 3% of the population under age 18 (Morton, 2005). This significantly affects black children, with 20% having a father with a history of incarceration, increasing their risk of future incarceration.

It would be appreciated if the committee advocated to other communities about the injustice of mass incarceration and how we can help reduce these rates. Programs should be funded by the city to support families with incarcerated loved ones, providing the help and resources they need. By establishing such programs, we can decrease the likelihood of children becoming incarcerated as they grow older. Our community can support others in similar situations, ensuring they are informed and supported. This is where we should start to grow and raise awareness in many other communities.

References

Allison, J. (2018). The Historical Context of Mass Incarceration. Journal of Criminal Justice Reform, 12(3), 45-67.

Bibas, S. (2018). A Response to Michelle Alexander: The New Jim Crow. Harvard Law Review, 131(6), 1250-1275.

Mauer, M., & King, R. S. (2007). The Sentencing Project: Incarceration and Crime. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

Morton, J. (2005). Children of Incarcerated Parents: An Invisible Population. The Urban Review, 37(3), 293-312.