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JoElle Thompson
ENG 102
Dr. Craig Wynne
5 March 2017

On Mass Incarceration

Within very recent American history, the term mass incarceration has become a very

relevant and prominent term concerning the criminal justice system and imprisonment. Mass

incarceration is the rise of the prison population in the United States beginning in the 1980s and

on a continual rise since then. This has become a major issue in the United States of America. In

the US alone, there are 1.3 million people in prison; furthermore, while the US is home to only

5% of the worlds population, it unfortunately is home to 25% of the worlds prisoner population

(Pfaff 1). When addressing only these minimal facts, it is evident that there is a problem in

America. Knowing what mass incarceration is and addressing the issue will allow Americans to

create positive change moving forward as a more unified union, reducing the rate of

incarcerations and the prison population.

To discuss how mass incarceration exists in America, there are many important questions

that must be asked; however, four specific questions stand out:

1. How did mass incarceration ultimately begin?

2. How have the ethnicities of Blacks and Latinos contributed to incarceration rates

compared to White Americans?

3. How have politics in America affected mass incarceration?

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4. What do American citizens believe are the best alternatives to help change this problem?

The following literary analyses will discuss the history of mass incarceration, how it

affects society in the United States of America, and what can be done to deplete this issue.

How did mass incarceration ultimately begin?

Starting with the abolition of slavery and the 13th amendment of the United States

constitution, imprisonment became the modern form of slavery in America. The 13th amendment

outlawed slavery, and stated that no citizen of the U.S. could be enslaved or incarcerated except

convicted criminals. The excerpt that excluded criminals from slavery or imprisonment gave

rise to arrests and incarcerations based on false pretenses, bias and prejudice, establishing the

first rise in the prison population.

During the 1980s in America, the largest rise in the prison population in state, local, and

federal prisons yielded the term mass incarceration. Many would agree the laws in place that

brought about mass incarceration was introduced by The War on Drugsthe era in which

President Reagan, joined by other politicians and activists, responded to the 1980s crack cocaine

outbreak within major inner cities. The War on Drugs was a complicated movement within the

government due to the strategic placement of crack cocaine within inner cities which helped the

image of political candidates vowing to be tough on crime, ultimately contributing to the boom

in the US prison population. Opposing, some people would disagree, arguing that The War on

Drugs was not a metaphorical war triggered by the federal governments strategic interventions

within urban and under privilege lives and neighborhoods, particularly communities of Blacks
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and Latinos (Wolfe 18). Instead the war was with the people of those very communities

against themselves.

Whether one believes The War on Drugs was a strategic intervention of the government

in these urban communities or a crisis within community as it fought against itself, it can be

agreed that the governments response with the Just Say No (to drugs) campaign and the Anti-

Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988 was the start of the new age called mass incarceration. By

presenting crack cocaine as national crisis, the initial establishment of The War on Drugs and

laws lead to additional funding for federal law enforcement. This additional funding of federal

law enforcement lead to the development of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams which

entailed a crack-down on illegal drug usage and possession. Ultimately what followed these

tactics to rid communities of the crack-cocaine drug are police brutality, biased arrests and

incarcerations due to new stereotypes, maximum and minimum sentencing laws, unfair and

biased conviction, plea bargains, a crooked criminal justice system, and more Blacks and Latinos

locked behind bars for non-violent crimes.

How have the ethnicities of Blacks and Latinos contributed to incarceration rates

compared to White Americans?

When studying incarceration rates and the populations of prisons, one important aspect to

be considered is racial disparities existing in the criminal justice system when the proportion of

a racial/ethnic group within the control of the system is greater than the proportion of such

groups in the general population, according to Dennis Schrantz and Jerry McElroy. Statistics

show that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be incarcerated than White Americans. The

outrageous information is that Blacks and Latinos combined only make up 30% of Americas
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population; however, people of these two ethnicities make up more than 50% of the prison

population (Vogel, Porter). Furthermore, comparing this information with the statistics stated

previously, Blacks and Latino Americans make up more than 50% of 25% of the worlds prison

population.

One thought of reasoning for this issue could simply be that individuals within these

minority communities are committing far more crimes more frequently than White Americans,

which is considered differential involvement (Vogel, Porter). Challenging this idea, many would

reason that the high incarceration rates of these particular minority populations are due to the

discrimination and prejudice within the criminal justice system, commonly referred to as

differential treatment (Vogel, Porter). In the case of racial disparities and high rates of black and

brown individuals incarcerated, one must consider the factors of differential involvement and

differential treatment existing simultaneously within the criminal justice system.

Research shows that poverty-filled, jobless neighborhoods and family disruption can be

associated with violent or non-violent crimes in black and brown communities (Pettit, Western

152). However, Becky Pettit and Bruce Western in Mass Imprisonment and the Life Course:

Race and Class Inequality in U.S. Incarceration contradict that a significant residual suggests

that blacks are punitively policed, prosecuted, and sentenced. This is linked to stereotypes

classifying blacks as more dangerous, threatening, and troublesome. Usually, these stereotypes

and disparities feed into the court room with legal misrepresentation.
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How have politics in America affected mass incarceration?

Gerrymanderingthe manipulation of the boundaries of an electoral constituency to

favor one party or classhas etched its place in the American political and criminal justice

system. Gerrymandering came to fruition during the times of the founding fathers. It is not a new

issue; however, prison populations began to explode and prison-based gerrymandering has real-

world policy consequences by incentivizing opposition to criminal justice reforms that would

decrease reliance on mass incarceration, (Ho 356). Not only does gerrymandering affect prisons

and the individuals that are incarcerated, namely of the black and brown ethnicities, the

communities in which these people reside lose their power and effectiveness in the voting

process within this democracy (Ho 356). In recent years, gerrymandering is believed to be the

reasons Republicans possess political control in the House and Senate. Opposing this idea, some

would say modern partisan gerrymandering is a myth (McLaughlin, The Gerrymander Myth)

and prison-based gerrymandering is justifiable because people should be counted where they are

present (Ho 357).

The belief that partisan gerrymandering is myth is justified by research on precinct-by-

precinct voting patterns, concluding that Republicans human geography is evenly dispersed

within suburbs, small towns and rural districts (McLaughlin 17). Compared to Democrats in

more urban areas, the research states that Republicans have the voting advantage (McLaughlin

17). According to Dale Ho on prison-based gerrymandering, The Census Bureau states that a

person's physical presence in particular areas places demands on certain services in the district.

These two beliefs opposing the idea that gerrymandering is a hindrance to democracy in

America, promoting mass incarceration, go hand-in-hand. State prisons are particularly located
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within rural districts or small towns, which are typical residency communities of Republicans.

By counting an incarcerated individual in the population of that rural district or town, removes

votes from those urban communities and cities in which Democrats regularly reside. From the

statistics presented in the last section, it is evident which ethnicities are more affected by mass

incarceration, people of urban communities. Not counting someone based on the location of their

residence or home violates basic rates of citizens of this democracy. Furthermore, partisan and

prison-based gerrymandering assists in keeping specific people in power and skews the chances

of voting for change and policies which will redirect mass incarceration and the crooked criminal

justice system. The rich and powerful stay in power and the poor and powerless stay down.

What do American citizens believe are the best alternatives to help change this

problem?

After researching the many organizations across this nation devoted to making changes

for social justice, two specific organizations stood out concerning mass incarceration: Critical

Resistance and The Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement. Critical

Resistance organization was formed in 1997 with purpose to join activists in efforts to abolish

The Prison Industrial Complex a term describing the overlapping interests of government and

industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and

political problems. Critical Resistance addresses the problem with the PIC to be its efforts to

maintain the power of privileged individuals based on race and economic status, tearing own

people of color, the poor and immigrants, to name a few. Critical Resistance sees abolition as

both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal.

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The Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement is an organization

of former convicted felons with the goal to fight the daily struggles and stipulations of

individuals with criminal records. This group came to fruition as a result of mass incarceration

with the efforts to reclaim their own lives and to save the lives of their children by focusing on

the best choices for their family. The mission of the group specifically states, We believe that

imprisonment or conviction on a felony charge should not result in a lifelong violation of our

basic rights as human beings, either while we are on probation, in prison or as we make the

transition from prison back into our communities. We are firmly committed to prioritizing De-

Entry over Re-Entry, and oppose the concept of a Rehabilitative Industrial Complex that grows

along with prisons. It is very important to have movements such as this when considering how

much one person loses due to incarcerationhousing, children, the right to vote, a good to make

a decent living, to name a few.

To further address this question, an anonymous survey of 79 individuals was conducted.

The question asked specifically related to this topic question was, What do you feel is the most

effective way to reduce mass incarceration? 59 people answered the question with one of the

following multiple choices: vote, protest, just say no, while 20 others answered with an

open comment. After evaluating the results of this question, it was very interesting to find how

many people agreed with each other by responding with a multiple choice answer or

commenting. It was also very interesting to analyze the results and realize how much people did

not know by the type of answers chosen. The results from question six are as follows:
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Here are a couple of responses to this question:

Work to dismantle the system as it stands for profit. Create restorative opportunities for

small/misdemeanor offenses. Create systems and programs that get at the root of WHY people

commit crimes, especially minor ones, and fix the root of the issue.

Remove laws that treat drug addiction as a crime and recognize that drug addiction is a disease

and help people get effective treatment rather than locking them up.

Conclusion

Mass incarceration has become one of the largest national crises seen in the United

States. It has created a dent in our nation, and it has become a system in which enables

corruption, social castes, and profit. Contributing to its rise, we see The War on Drugs,

government intervention in urban communities, racial disparities, gerrymandering and much

more. This is a very intricate issue that must be combatted on all sides. There are many efforts

today working at different angles to better our country and better our criminal justice system.
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However, because people view situations and solutions differently, it will take much work to

come to consensus on the best possible alternatives. It starts with education. Citizens must

challenge themselves to learn more about their nation and how it affects them and the worlds of

the people around them.

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Work Cited

FICPM National Platform. Our Vision. Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families

Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 February 2017.

https://ficpmovement.wordpress.com/about/ficpm-national-platform/

Ho, Dale E. Captive Constituents: Prison-Based Gerrymandering and the Current Redistricting

Cycle. Stanford Law & Policy Review Vol. 22 Issue 2 (2011): p355-394. 40p. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 16 March 2017.

McLaughlin, Dan. The Gerrymander Myth. National Review Vol. 69 Issue 3 (2017): p16-20.

3p. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 March 2017.

Pettit, Becky and Bruce Western. Mass Imprisonment and the Life Course: Race and Class

Inequality in U.S. Incarceration. American Sociological Review SAGE Journals. Vol 69,

Issue 2 (2016): 151-169. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 March 2017.

Pfaff, John. A Better Approach to Violent Crime: If Were Going to End Mass Incarceration in

the U.S. It Will Mean Figuring out Better Ways to Prevent Violent Crimes and to Deal

with Those Who Commit Them. ProQuest. Wall Street Journal (Online). (2017): Web

21 February 2017.

Schrantz, Dennis and Jerry McElroy. Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System:

A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers. The Sentencing Project (2000): Abstract.

Web. 15 Mar. 2017. https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=183513

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Vogel, Matt, and Lauren C. Porter. Toward a Demographic Understanding of Incarceration

Disparities: Race, Ethnicity, and Age Structure. Journal of Quantitative

Criminology 32.4 (2016): 515530. PMC. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

What is PIC? What is Abolition? Critical Resistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 February 2017.

http://criticalresistance.org/about/not-so-common-language/

Wolfe, Nol K. Battling Crack: A Study of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy

Coalitions Tactics. The Journal of Urban History. SAGE Journals. Vol. 43(1) (2017):

1832. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 February 2017.