Black & Latino Imprisonment Rates the Result of Racist, Punitive Impulse

[G_j]

http://www.alternet.org/rights/146550/study_settles_it:_shocking_black_&_latino_imprisonment_rates_the_result_of_racist,_punitive_impulse?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=alternet


Study Settles It: Shocking Black & Latino Imprisonment Rates the Result of Racist, Punitive Impulse
How racist attitudes barely hide beneath the surface of 'tough on crime' policies.
April 21, 2010 |


For decades, journalists, scholars and activists seeking to understand the soaring number of people locked up in U.S. prisons over the past 40 years have uncovered -- or just looked clearly enough to see -- overwhelming evidence of systemic racism at every level of the criminal justice system. Yet, there has been a wide reluctance to name racism as one of the primary factors fueling the prison boom; as sentences have gotten longer and parole granted less often, even the starkest racial statistics -- like the fact that African Americans and Latinos make up 70 percent of the incarcerated population -- have often been treated as an unfortunate byproduct of the war on drugs.

Now, two criminologists have concluded, in a new study investigating public attitudes behind harsh sentencing, that the warehousing of African Americans and other minorities is no accident. Rather, "racial resentments are inextricably entwined in public punitiveness." In other words, racism and the rise of "tough on crime" policies go hand in hand.

James Unnever of the University of South Florida-Sarasota and Francis Cullen of the University of Cincinnati acknowledge the "lengthy roster" of previous studies on race and the U.S. prison system; yet theirs manages to contribute something crucial to the current debate: "… iven the large body of research that documents a substantive association between punitiveness and racial animus," they write, "it is somewhat disconcerting that theories of the mass-incarceration movement do not place race and racism at the center of their explanation for why the United States imprisons so many of its citizens."


..more..

[ismnotwasm]

1. This has been going on for a long time

If this thread get going, you'll see some bizarre, logic twisting arguments that roughly add up to 'people go to prison because they've committed a crime'

The incarceration rate of blacks and Latinos is part of institutionalized racism, period. Then I consider the prison industry itself, that silent giant. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that employs a lot of people, and has profit in strange places, (I knew an inmate who said Barbara Bush of all people had her fingers in that pie, but I never verified it) but you don't hear a lot of about funding and private contracts or public market companies that may be providing, oh, say food or equipment or electronics to prisons

[G_j]

4. agreed

institutionalized racism and a complete racket.

[Brewman_Jax]

2. This is a demographic group

that has been deliberately targeted for incarceration, the numbers are very clear. From the chain gangs to the present prison industrial complex, it's been about hate, money, and control.

[Bullet1987]

3. Not surprising...marijuana incarcerations have skyrocketed

When you look at the racist roots of marijuana prohibition, is it surprising that Blacks and Latino's are more likely to be put in prison for possession of said plant? The "War on Drugs" was always really a war on the urban population. Millions of non-violent, first-time offending Black men have been disenfranchised as a result of this. Black males make up something like 13% of the drug using population in America, but they get the harsher penalties and are much more likely to be convicted than their counterparts.

[Taitertots]

5. Do minorities commit more crimes per capita?

Are the 70% of prisons filled with African Americans and Latinos because 70% of crime gets committed by them?

[Brewman_Jax]

7. Blaming the victims?

25% of the overall population comprising 70% of the prison population is no accident, as stated in the report.

[Taitertots]

11. That statistic is meaningless

The report only says that people who hold "racial resentment" favor a punitive approach to crime prevention.


If I am reading table 4 and 5 correct than there is a negative correlation between a negative view of african americans and support for punitive crime prevention. Their valuation for "racial resentment" has a .28 correlation to the "racial Stereotype" values. Their numbers support the view that people with a negative view of black people (Racial Stereotype) have no statistically significant relationship to a punitive approach to crime or the death penalty.

Have you read the report?

[Brewman_Jax]

13. What does that have to do with the question?

You cited the 70% implying that AA and Latinos commit 70% of the crime. I cited their percentage of the population and how it's severely out of proportion to the incarceration rates, which is very relevant to the factors of racism cited in the report and the report itself.

Maybe you should re-read the report.

[Taitertots]

15. Are they committing those crimes?

Are the incarceration rates higher or are the crime rates higher?

You obviously never read the study. The coefficient for racial stereotype is negative. People with lower opinions of black people have no connection to increased support for the death penalty or punitive punishment preference.

All they showed was that people who answered their loaded survey support punitive punishments and capital punishment.

[Brewman_Jax]

16. Did you?

It's right in the article. The 70% incarceration rate does not correlate to a 70% crime rate, but the reactionary racists like to cite that as the reason for the disparity in incarceration rates. It does correlate to the "tough on crime" policies and unequal penalties and sentencing. The most glaring example is the disparity of crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine.

[Taitertots]

20. I read the study that the OP article references

Where they try to connect various factors to favoring punitive punishments and the death penalty. Two of the factors were Racial Resentment and Racial Stereotype. The Racial Resentment factor was the responses to a series of loaded questions. The Racial Stereotype allow them to rank african americans based on what they thought about their intelligence, work ethics, and other things. The racial stereotype is a objective measure of racial opinion. The racial resentment is the equivalent of a magazine "are you racist" quiz.


Look at table 4 and 5. Racial Stereotype has a negative coefficient. There is no statistically significant correlation between having a low opinion of black people and favoring either the death penalty or punitive punishments.


People having a low opinion of black people (racism) is not causing the push for punitive punishments and the death penalty.

[Brewman_Jax]

26. That doesn't answer the question

the study seeks to answer, which is: does race and racism have anything to do with the disproportionate incarceration of people of color? The report's conclusion says yes, along with perceptions of crime and criminality.

Now, if you don't think racism has anything to do with the prison rates, just say so.

[Taitertots]

30. Read tables 4 and 5

They clearly show that there is not a positive correlation between Racial Stereotypes and favoring punitive punishments. People who have lower opinions of black people do NOT favor punitive punishments or the death penalty.

The article asks if racism is a factor is favoring punitive response to crime instead of social reform, and if racism is a factor in favoring the death penalty. The data does not support the conclusion that racism is a factor in either.

[Brewman_Jax]

34. Read the discussion and the conclusions

and the article, whose name is Study Settles It: Shocking Black & Latino Imprisonment Rates the Result of Racist, Punitive Impulse. Race is clearly a factor as quoted from the study: "Our data also show that one of the most salient and consistent predictors of American punitiveness is racial animus. Importantly, this finding held even when controlling for two competing theoretical models—a result not previously examined in the literature. When added to the large body of evidence on the effects of racial animus (Unnever, Cullen, and Jonson, 2008), this finding suggests that a prominent reason for the American public’s punitiveness—including the embrace of mass imprisonment and the death penalty—is the belief that those disproportionately subject to these harsh sanctions are people they do not like: African-American offenders."

Yes, racism is a factor, as stated by the study's authors.

[Taitertots]

36. Read the actual data and think for yourself about it

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123304690/PDFSTART

They measured Racial Animus with two factors. Racial Resentment, which is the results of a push poll. Racial stereotype rates the opinion of people about various qualities of black people. There is a .28 correlation between the two. The results of the Racial stereotype are negative and close to zero. People who have a negative opinion of black people don't favor punitive punishments or the death penalty. People who answered their push poll favored punitive punishments for crime and the death penalty.

I don't believe that the poll used to create Racial Resentment is a useful measure of racism. Do I need to go through all the questions and explain why they are flawed or will you actually read the study yourself. Not the abstract or a review of the study but the study itself.

[Brewman_Jax]

40. So, you know better than the study's authors?

Maybe you should actually read the study. Punitive punishments is not the title, Social Sources of Punitiveness is. Dance all you want and hide behind data tables, it changes nothing--racism is still a factor. You're entitled to your opinion, not the facts.

[Taitertots]

42. I can't make you think for yourself

It is not my opinion it is the facts as they provided them. Read the study yourself. It is not dancing around by showing that the numbers don't support the conclusion.

Your last post subject is a false appeal to authority. Do you unquestioningly listen to anything a professor says?

They could make the title "the sky is made out of onions" it doesn't make the numbers contained within support the conclusion.

People who have low opinions of black people (Racial Stereotype) are not more likely to support punitive punishments.

[Brewman_Jax]

44. Comprehension problems, eh?

Your first post was confusing cause and effect (Are the 70% of prisons filled with African Americans and Latinos because 70% of crime gets committed by them?) in addition to ignoring the topic of the report and the facts and data after that. That's ignoring the point of the article. The point is how racism affects incarceration rates of people of color.

Just because you don't like the report's conclusions doesn't make them wrong.

[Taitertots]

45. Read it yourself

The data as they supplied it clearly disagrees with their conclusion. The data clearly shows that racist people don't favor punitive punishments or the death penalty. If you bothered to read more than the abstract you would know this already.

If you want to be a rube who believes anything people tell you than you are free to do so. I'm done trying to explain this to you when you have no intention of reading the study or thinking about it.

[Brewman_Jax]

47. You read it

If you had, the conclusions acknowledge that point and then factors in race to back up the conclusion. Why is a research study going to post data that contradicts the conclusions it seeks to present? That's plain stupid and you're clueless to think that. You're right about one thing: I'm done trying to explain this to you when you have no intention of actually reading the study or thinking critically about it.

[Taitertots]

48. Don't bother thinking, Just take their word for it

I have no intention of discussing this with you further when you have no intention of discussing the study. If you feel like trying to support your position with data I'll continue with this.

Your whole position is "because they said so".

[Brewman_Jax]

49. Show your work

if you're going to attempt to decredit experts in their field, you'll have to do better than "I don't like their conclusions, so they're wrong because I say so."

Don't go away mad, just go away.

[Taitertots]

50. Don't bother to think for yourself, unquestioningly support "experts", they have never been wrong

What is the coefficient of Racial Stereotype? It is not positive or statistically significant.

What is the correlation between Racial Stereotype and Racial Resentment? .28

What is the methodology for determining the two values?
Racial Stereotype- An objective measure of their opinions of black people.
Racial Resentment- A push poll that is subjective and is not correlated to negative opinions of black people.


What does the data support?
That they can create a quiz that people who favor punitive punishment score highly on.
That people who objectively rank black people lower don't have punitive impulse.

[Brewman_Jax]

51. That's not the topic of the report

which is SOCIAL SOURCES OF PUNITIVENESS, not to mention you've left off the data gathered in the racial animus model, which supports the conclusions as presented. Staying with the false argument doesn't change the facts or conclusions.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. no, when white vs black involved in criminal act at every step of the process the black is

more likely to be moved along, deeper and deeper into the system. More likely to be arrested, more likely to be charged, longer sentence, less likely to probation.

[Hello_Kitty]

9. This is especially true with drugs.

A good example is the harsh prison sentences for crack cocaine while the powder form got you a slap on the list.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. yep. Things have got to change

[NYC_SKP]

19. Not to mention more likely to be stopped, investigated, and accused before an arrest is even made.

Innocent or not.

:mad:





:nuke:

[erpowers]

21. Watched A Show About Seizures

Earlier this year I watched a show about seizure laws in this country. In previous years there were laws on the books that allowed police officers to stop anyone for just about any reason, search their vehicle, and confiscate any of their money without even charging the person of a crime. They did not even have to find drugs or any illegal substances. It was shown that on a major Florida highway the majority of the people stopped and had their money taken from them were African American.

[marshall]

41. I think economic status would play a big part in who does the crimes

Somebody with little money or food or lacking "luxuries" they see others enjoying is more likely to turn to socially unacceptable means to get what they need or want.

[sixmile]

6. Bureau of Federal Prisons Quick Fact page

Federal Prisons ONLY

http://www.bop.gov/news/quick.jsp


Total population: 210,159

Inmates by Race:
White: 121,649 (57.9 %)
Black: 81,054 (38.6 %)
Native American: 3,783 (1.8 %)
Asian: 3,673 (1.7 %)

(Ethnicity: Hispanic 33%)

Types of Offenses:
Drug Offenses: 100,409 (51.5 %)
Weapons, Explosives, Arson: 29,394 (15.1 %)
Immigration: 22,476 (11.5 %)
etc.

Sentence Imposed:
Less than 1 year: 3,419 (1.8 %)
1-3 years: 24,234 (12.4 %)
3-5 years: 28,405 (14.6 %)
5-10 years: 57,993 (29.7 %)
10-15 years: 39,260 (20.1 %)
15-20 years: 17,057 (8.7 %)
More than 20 years: 18,700 (9.6 %)
Life: 6,058 (3.1 %)
Death: 53

[Caliman73]

39. I am sure that the stats are similar in states too.

The problem is the White people make up about 60% of the population. Their presence in the penal system is around the number of their make up of the population. Blacks make up 14% of the general population but almost 39% of the prison population. Latinos make up 15% of the general population and 33% of the prison population. Relative to their presence in society, Blacks and Latinos double their presence in prisons.

[Solly Mack]

12. k/r

[aikoaiko]

14. I'll have to read the actual study, but I'm not sure this "settles it" as alternet says

I certainly don't deny that racism exists within the modern penal system, but it's difficult to parse out the effects of racism in the penal decision making processes and general causes of crime.

And its not so clear if there should less African Americans in jail or if there should be more white Americans in jail.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. There are two explanations that fit the data.

1. The criminal justice system is racist at a systemic level.

2. Black people are some immoral untermensch who are just naturally more prone to crime.

Me, I'm pretty sure it's the first one.

[aikoaiko]

18. There may be more options

But I too agree that African Americans have it much rougher than white Americans and some of that is due to racism.

[Taitertots]

23. You are creating a false dilemma

You can't pretend that those are the only options. You are trying to create a false dichotomy:Agree with me or you are racist.

No where in the study they are referencing does it support the idea that the criminal justice system is racist at a systemic level.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. So what are the other options?

Do tell.

[Taitertots]

32. The confluence of factors outside of their control..

Lack of legal representation due to poverty.
Variations in crime due to variation in population distribution.
Increased police presence in areas with more African Americans.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

35. So you're saying poor people are criminal untermensch.

If you correct for income, does the disparity disappear?

"Variations in crime due to variation in population distribution."

F'rinstance?

"Increased police presence in areas with more African Americans."

That's another way of saying "racist criminal justice system."

[Taitertots]

37. No, you are saying that

A group can commit more crimes without being somehow worse.

There are more men incarcerated than women. If you are right than the criminal justice system must be biased against men or all men are untermensch.

[MellowDem]

33. Social conditions play a big part of it...

If 15% or so of the prison population is incarcerated due to breaking immigration laws, that will weight Hispanics more than their fair share of the population. And considering 50% of all people incarcerated are for drug crimes, it would make sense that racial groups that disproportionally live in higher poverty, which has a strong connection with crime and drugs, are going to have higher rates of incarceration than their actual proportional representation in the population.

It is a reflection of the fact that blacks and Hispanics disproportionally live in poor or poverty stricken areas. If it was mostly racism, Asians should have much higher incarceration rates. But it is mostly economics that lead to crime and incarceration. Of course, why those economic inequalities exist has a lot of possible factors, including historical racism, recent immigration, etc. etc.

[Fumesucker]

24. Given the fact that the land of the free has the highest incarceration rate on the planet, bar none.

Do you *really* think we need to start locking more people up?

[aikoaiko]

25. It depends on why black Americans are disproportionately represented in prisons....

Yes, if white americans who commit crimes are not being arrested, prosecuted, convicted, etc equitably compared to black Americans.

[Fumesucker]

27. So the highest incarceration rate on the planet is not enough for you?

Are we really and truly so much more criminally minded as a nation than we were in say, 1970?

[aikoaiko]

28. THE overall rate is not really what we're discussing, but if since you ask

I think the overall rate can be reduced greatly by decriminalizing most recreational drugs.

Crime has been going down the early 1990s and it may be attributable in part to keeping criminals locked up longer which leads to the overall increased incarceration rates. If they are doing the crime, I'm ok with them doing the time.

However, I think we need to take a hard look at who we're incarcerating. Having an ounce of pot is not a big deal. Violent crime and corporate/financial crime are huge because they have such a devastating impact on so many people.

[MellowDem]

31. At the same time, we are "safer" than ever...

in other words, there is less crime per capita than there has been in a long time, and one of the factors many people cite is keeping more people in jail.

[Romulox]

22. The War on (people who use) Drugs is the new Jim Crow.

White people and people of color use drugs at roughly the same rates. But our prisons are not bursting with young white non-violent drug offenders.

[Caliman73]

38. The drug war itself is a product of racist social policies so....

I think that socio-economic status has a big part as well, but the over representation of Blacks and Latinos in poverty and in prison is a result of a history of racist policy.

Unfortunately, I don't see this study going anywhere.

[greencharlie]

43. can't buy into it, sorry. nt

[G_j]

46. that's it?

no explanation?