The Inequality Of The Prison Population Essay - 1429 Words

All of the articles that are discussed throughout this essay stated very similar observations when it came to the demographics of the prison population. They stated that the people who are mostly incarcerated are people of color, predominantly African-American and then Hispanic men. Jennifer Wynn stated that when she visited Rikers Island and was waiting in the waiting room, she was the only white person there (Wynn, 2012). She later found that ninety percent of the inmates were black or Hispanic (Wynn, 2012) and that ninety three percent were male (Wynn, 2012). Although not as large as black men, there has also been an increase of minority women imprisonment. This racial disproportion was not always this way. During World War II, whites consisted of seventy percent of inmates and only thirty percent were identified as â€Å"others† (Martense, 2012). This has been reversed now being that seventy percent of the prison population are black and Hispanic and thirty percent being w hite (Martensen, 2012). According to Martensen, the reason for this is due to the ‘War on Drugs’ which indirectly targets racial minorities. When it was implemented, there was not a drug crisis, however, drug offenses has lead to a major increase in the federal inmate population and state prisoners between 1985 and 2000 (Martensen, 2012). Most of these people come from disadvantaged communities with a lack of opportunities which can lead to criminal behaviors. People who have more power are in theShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Justice System : An Analysis Of Income And Racial Inequality Essay1586 Words   |  7 PagesRyan Williams English 102 Professor 6 May 2015 The Criminal Justice System: an Analysis of Income and Racial Inequality In the history of civilized communities, one finds that different structures and practices are relevant and necessary to uphold and maintain order within society—hence, the establishment of the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system, according to the Oxford Dictionaries (2010), is defined as â€Å"the system of law enforcement that is directly involved in apprehendingRead MoreCriminal Justice System And The United States1183 Words   |  5 Pages(seemingly petty) crimes— such as missing court dates, a requirement for classes such as anger management, the list goes on. 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