More Black Men Now in Prison System than Were Enslaved

[ProudDad]

“More African American men are in prison or jail, on probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War began,” Michelle Alexander told a standing room only house at the Pasadena Main Library this past Wednesday, the first of many jarring points she made in a riveting presentation.

Alexander, currently a law professor at Ohio State, had been brought in to discuss her year-old bestseller, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness More Black Men Now in Prison System than Were Enslaved. Interest ran so high beforehand that the organizers had to move the event to a location that could accommodate the eager attendees. That evening, more than 200 people braved the pouring rain and inevitable traffic jams to crowd into the library’s main room, with dozens more shuffled into an overflow room, and even more latecomers turned away altogether. Alexander and her topic had struck a nerve.

Growing crime rates over the past 30 years don’t explain the skyrocketing numbers of black — and increasingly brown — men caught in America’s prison system, according to Alexander, who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun after attending Stanford Law. “In fact, crime rates have fluctuated over the years and are now at historical lows.”

“Most of that increase is due to the War on Drugs, a war waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color,” she said, even though studies have shown that whites use and sell illegal drugs at rates equal to or above blacks. In some black inner-city communities, four of five black youth can expect to be caught up in the criminal justice system during their lifetimes.

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/150465


Holder As Attorney General Seen Likely To Escalate War On Drugs

There's been plenty of right-wing hand-wringing recently over fears that Barack Obama's election will bring about a new era of 1960s liberalism. Obama's selection of Eric Holder for attorney general, however, should calm at least one of those fears, the one regarding the war on drugs. Reason magazine recently called Holder's "rhetoric on the seriousness of marijuana offenses was indistinguishable from that of the most zealous Republican drug warrior" and offered the following quotes from Holder:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/21/holder-as-attorney-genera_n_145484.html

And he DID!!!

End the Phony "War on Drugs(tm)"

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Disgraceful

America, land of the free? Yea right.

This country fucking sucks.

[villager]

2. Part of what marks us as a failed state.

n/t

[villager]

3. Dupe

n/t

[ZombieHorde]

4. The war some drugs is ridiculous. nt

[FrenchieCat]

5. Yep.....this is Barack Obama and Eric Holder's fault......

except that it isn't.

200 years of judicial bias against Black men, and in particular the last 30 years
of differing treatment in sentencing for Black vs. White defendents
is now the fault of 2 Black men based on the fact that they came on the scene 2.4 years ago.

It would be a fantasy to believe that either of these Black men, all the while under assault
about everything and anything would, by decree, free the Black men in prisons in all 50 states,
by making a dictatorial announcement from a megaphone!

Only at DU and Freeperville is this kind of dumbdown implied "gotcha" editorial
allowed to pass as somekind of statement of fact.

[ProudDad]

7. They are good "drug warriors" and have

accelerated the "drug war"...

That's called collusion...

Just as guilty under the law...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. Actually, you're wrong. The Obama administration has put the spotlight on unfair

drug sentencing laws. Democratically-controlled House last year struck down unfair sentencing laws. Don't you remember? Or, are you so busy trying to find ways to blame the Obama administration?

Indeed, Congress passed into law and Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/08/03/data-show-racial-disparity-in-crack-sentencing

Link to the Fair Sentencing Act:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1789

Get your fucking facts straight!!

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

23. What does this bullshit have to do with the administration???!??! nt

[ProSense]

6. It's Eric Holder's fault?

Preposterous.

The article has nothing to do with the administration.

[ProudDad]

8. He's the one who railed against the attempt in California

to cut down on the destruction of that phony war...

So he's complicit as is his boss...

[ProSense]

10. Railing against the "war on drugs"

doesn't make the black prison population Holder's fault. This administration is at least trying to address the disparities.

President Obama to Sign Historic Legislation Reducing Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity Today

<...>

"I'm overjoyed that thousands of people, mostly African American, will no longer be unjustly subjected to the harsh sentencing laws enacted in the 1980s," said Jasmine Tyler, deputy director of national affairs. "The compromise is not perfect and more needs to be done, but this is a huge step forward in reforming our country's overly harsh and wasteful drug laws."

[ProudDad]

18. Oh, brother...

You are a fountain of irrelevancies, aren't you?

They're still going to disenfranchise and incarcerate and render unemployable more thousands of primarily black people...

This won't cut down the numbers and the fucking DAs will find a way to sentence them to sentences just as long by stacking charges...it's their job...

And they're still both "good drug warriors" -- you won't hear either of them speak reason and descibe the phony "War on Drugs(tm)" for the failure it is (except for disenfranchising Black Men -- it's a rousing success at that) and call to end it!

[ProSense]

20. Here

take this advice

"They're still going to disenfranchise and incarcerate and render unemployable more thousands of primarily black people..."

No amount of drivel makes the black prison population Holder's fault.

Second Chance Act

[ProudDad]

22. In words of a low number of syllables

To help you with under-standing this...

They are "in charge" now...

If they want to end the phony drug war, they could say so...

But they don't...

So they don't...

So they are complicit...

The 50% + Federal incarceration rate for drug offenses ARE Hodler's responsibility now...

[jwirr]

9. There should be a study showing the breakdown in types of crimes

our prisoners have been convicted of. This would show the problems better than just saying the number of people in the prisons. IMO

[ProudDad]

15. There is...

Over half are drug related "convictions"...

Victims of the phony "War on Drugs(tm)"...

For instance, in Federal prisons:

Number of sentenced prisoners in federal prison by most serious offense
Offense 2000 2008 2009 Share 2009 % Chg 2000-2009
TOTAL 131,739 182,333 187,886 100.0% +42.6%
Violent 13,740 15,483 14,773 7.9% +7.5%
Property 10,135 11,080 10,913 5.8% +7.7%
Drug 74,276 95,079 95,205 50.7% +28.2%
Public-order 32,325 59,298 65,678 35.0% +103.2%
Other/unspecified 1,263 1,394 1,317 0.7% +4.3%

It's probably going to get screwed up but...

Total Federal Prisoners: 131,739 -- Total for Drugs: 74,276 -- Percentage 50.7%
Percentage increase: +28.2%

Then there are the predominantly political "public order" prisoners: another 35%

[paparush]

11. US: 5% of the world's population, 25% of the world's prisoners.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. Isn't that the goal of the Prison Industrial Complex? Put more people in color.

Destroying families...DELIBERATELY!!

Less eligible black men for a black woman like me to marry.

It's all by design!

[ProudDad]

16. Actually, it's primarily Jim Crow and Voter Suppression by other means

Especially in the South...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. True, but not the entire story. n/t

[midnight]

13. Medical Marijuana should be removed from this phony war...

"In 1996, Holder proposed cracking down on marijuana users and sellers, a policy perspective which was and--assuming he still holds it--is completely antithetical to President-Elect Barack Obama's promise to end federal crackdowns on medical marijuana dispensaries."



Definition of ANTITHETICAL

1
: constituting or marked by antithesis
2
: being in direct and unequivocal opposition
— an·ti·thet·i·cal·ly adverb
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antithetical

[ProudDad]

17. All "drug use" should be removed from the phony war... (n/t)

[Logical]

21. So only arrest dealers and not users? So someone buying Meth for the 20th time...

should not be punished?

[ProudDad]

37. ABSOLUTELY!!!!

What the fuck business is it of YOURS what someone else does to their own body?

You agree with "PUNISHING" people who are only punishing themselves???

And if we ended prohibition, the addict could obtain safe, cheap drugs instead of having to steal and mug to service their addiction...

And, even more importantly, those of us who work with addicts and alcohol abusers could reach them more easily...

Use a little of the billions that the phony drug war's costing for treatment on demand and the rest for education and health care...

[Logical]

40. Wow, I would call you extreme. Musty not know what meth does to people. n-t

[ProudDad]

44. I CERTAIN I know better than you what meth does to people

and I know that the fucking phony "War on Drugs(tm)" with its prohibition DOESN'T HELP AT ALL!!!

It it's extreme to be able to create social conditions within which folks with addictions can be helped then I'm "extreme"...

But it's the Calvinist bullshit that drives this phony war that's extreme...

On edit: Oh, yeah, another of my "extreme" positions that you obviously missed:

And, even more importantly, those of us who work with addicts and alcohol abusers could reach them more easily...

[DFab420]

25. This is wrong. Like..I mean seriously all you have to do is some census reading

More Black Men living in America then the entire population of the US during Slavery

38,929,319 African Americans per 2010 US Census


38,558,371 Population of America, 1870 US Census

And in 1860 there where 3,953,760 Slaves in the United States.

According to a Pew Count the Federal Statsics of Incarerated people in the States was : 1,404,053 persons under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Prison_Count_2010.pdf

So my question is this: is 1,404,053 > 3,953,760

Answer: NO

So unless you are telling me that on the Federal Level there are 2,549,707 prisoners who are ALL BLACK, then this post is a lie.

[LiberalFighter]

26. I really hate it when others use figures that are not comparable.

Now if the percentage was used that might be different.

[DFab420]

27. Sorry I suck at converting number to percentages.

[LiberalFighter]

29. I was actually agreeing with your method.

It is when others equate raw numbers from the current period to a past period that I have a problem. Or from one area to another without considering the differences in population or other factors.

[DFab420]

31. Ah, yea it sounded like you were agreeing

just couldn't be sure haha

[LiberalFighter]

28. wrong place

[Wait Wut]

36. Grrrrr...

Wanna....rec....comment!!!!

This needs to be at the top of this thread!

[JVS]

42. In prison system might include parolees and people on probation.

[onenote]

49. your analysis also has flaws

I think the comparison made by the author referenced in the OP is difficult to assess since no specific numbers are provided. However, you should keep in mind that in your counter-analysis, you are comparing the prison population, which is probably 90 percent male, with the total slave population, which consisted on a substantial population of females (anywhere from one third to one half according to some sources).

I still think that the original claim is overstated, but probably not by nearly as much as your post would suggest.

[golfguru]

30. Looks like we lost the war on poverty n/t

[krawhitham]

32. idea: Stop breaking the law

[DFab420]

33. But but,...laws are racist didn't you know?

Crack was invented by the CIA so that we could arrest the black man and enslave him in our prison industrial complex.


It has nothing to do with the fact that crime and poverty go hand in hand. And it has nothing to do with the fact the meth and crack make you fucking scary.


the weed thing is bullshit obviously, but yea. If you don't want to go to jail...don't break the law.

[ProudDad]

39. If you don't want to be derided

don't act like some kind of smug asshole, ok?

[ProudDad]

47. Cocaine and Crack WERE imported by the CIA...

They didn't invent it though -- that's just another of your fantasies...

And the worst, most destructive criminals in this fucked up country are banksters and the military...

[ProudDad]

38. Idea -- stop passing fucked up laws... (n/t)

[krawhitham]

50. Don't like the laws, change who you vote for

[Skip Intro]

46. +100

[mkultra]

34. by number or by percentage?

4million enslaved brothers in 1860 40 million black folks in america today.

[DFab420]

35. Either way you play with the numbers

It's still smelling like a lie

[ReggieVeggie]

41. terrible

this country has not evolved very far

[Balbus]

43. This OP trivializes slavery.

The people in jail made choices that brought about their predicament. The people enslaved did not.

[Skip Intro]

45. shhhh...don't harsh the sensationalism, man. nt

[ProudDad]

48. You obviously don't understand

modern slavery...

Choices like hell...

You obviously don't know much about this country's fucked up criminal-injustice system either...