BLACKS, PRISON, AND INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Description: The title pretty much says it all in this one. This paper
addresses the issue of blacks in prison and explores the socio-economic
causes and solutions. This paper uses many govermentally commissioned
reports.

Blacks, Prison, and Institutional Racism

Introduction
Criminal justice and security is one of the largest industries in the United
States. Such a statistic is (and rightly so) of great concern to Afro-Americans
because a disproportionate percentage of individuals under the control of
the US Criminal Justice System are from the Black community. This paper
will look at the alarming statistics and attempt to trace the roots of the
disparity. It will then consider the affects and explore possible solutions
to the expanding problem.

The Imprisoned Black Youth
Black communities throughout the U.S. are witnessing the institutionalization
of their youth. Of course institutionalization is nothing new to Afro-Americans,
it is something Blacks have faced since their existence in this country.
In the beginning Blacks were forced into the institution of slavery. After
the abolition of slavery Blacks faced institutional racism, that is, racism
legitimated by the whole of society directed against the few of society.
As a facet of that institutional racism Blacks are now forced to persevere
the increasing trend of control by the US Criminal Justice System. Control
by the USCJS includes the probation, parole, imprisonment, and death of
Blacks. A study conducted by the Sentencing Project in 1989 found tat more
than one-fourth of all Blacks between the age of 20 and 29 are under the
control of the USCJS . This alarming figure becomes more so when you consider
their are more Blacks in prison in this age group than their are all Blacks
in college . This clearly reveals what is meant by the institutionalization
of our Black youth. Black communities are being legally robbed of their
youth by a system that locks up those who pose a threat to the status quo
of institutional racism. The consequences of this are detrimental indeed.
The children are the future, but what future does a community have whose
children are all locked up. By virtue of robbing the Black community of
their youth, the USCJS robs Black communities of their future leaders and
role models . With such a condition at hand entire communities are lost
and the ills of the urban ghettos are augmented. To help explain why Blacks
are being locked up, and what part of imprisonment plays in institutional
racism it would be helpful to first look at the roots of institutional racism.

Institutional Racism And It's Roots
Institutional racism was a term first coined by Stokley Carmichael in his
book Black Power. Concerning racism, Carmichael and co-author Charles V.
Hamilton made the following observation:

Racism is both overt and covert. It takes two, closely related forms; individual
Whites acting against individual Blacks, and acts by the total of White
community against the Black community. We call these individual racism and
institutional racism. 
The authors go on to state that it is the covertness of the second type,
the institutional racism, that makes it so dangerous. Because institutional
racism is less obvious and it is less apparent were it is emanating from
(and it is emanating from everywhere) creeps up on you and overwhelms you
when you are not looking . Institutional racism, though coined by Carmichael,
existed long before it was conceived of in Black Power. As I have stated
it has existed since Blacks were first brought to this country. The leaders
of early America sought intentionally to oppress Blacks and do so legally.
Of course back then they did not bother with probation, parole or even long
prison sentences. Back then Blacks who went against the grain and objected
to his treatment in even the slightest was simply killed. Public lynching
were a crowd drawer and a crowd pleaser in the early American South. Blacks
were not imprisoned as much because they were seen as either useful our
useless. A good "field hands" or "house niggers" tended
to their chores, did as they were told, and never caused a problem, and
were therefore worth their weight in gold. An "uppity nigger"
was no good to anyone and was either beaten into submission or put to death
. This reveals a very important aspect about the imprisonment of Blacks
today. During the period of slavery in the US Blacks were needed as workers
and were therefore used as so . What are Blacks needed for now? Despite
the many accomplishments of such great inventors as Granville T. Woods and
Benjamin Bannicker, it would seem that White society would have no use for
Blacks. During the period of slavery Blacks deemed useless were killed.
In today's society Blacks are less often killed, but are very often imprisoned.
And by virtue of doing so Blacks are again used. As I stated in the beginning
criminal justice and security is one of the largest industries in the US.
The prison system is a multi-billion dollar industry and it is rapidly increasing.
So in an attempt to isolate and control the pariah, the poor Black, an economic
niche was filled. There is almost an incentive to lock up Blacks because
in doing so two birds are killed with one stone; the threat to status quo
and its members is contained and a buck is made in the process. It seems
the US has matriculated very little from the barbarism of the early 19th
century. Again White society is using Blacks for economic gain, again the
system is legitimated and legalized by the US Government, and again the
burden on Blacks is severely great.

The Value Of Black Life
Slavery in the 90's? A scary, but none the less real condition. But what
about when Blacks go beyond their usefulness. What about when the threat
that Blacks pose is a greater consideration than the economic prosperity
they bring? Just as in the period of slavery Blacks are killed. A study
conducted by the United States General Accounting Office (USGAO) found that
the death of Whites was the single greatest determinant in imposing capital
punishment . In other words, you are more likely to be legally killed, if
you murder a White man than if you kill a Black man. It would seem then
that the value of a White life is diametrically greater than that of a Black
life. To fully understand this you must look at it from all vantage points.
If you kill a White you are worth more dead; if you kill a Black you are
worth more alive. Another way to view the perceived greater wealth of a
White life is this: a White man who kills a Black man has a greater chance
of living. A Black man who kills a White man has a greater chance of dying.
From every vantage point the value of White life is greater than that of
Black life. This is the single most fundamental aspect of institutional
racism. The belief that White life is greater than Black life is the source
of the problem. So much effort is put into maintaining this status quo that
Blacks find themselves time and time again put in the position of subjection
they are in today, and have been in since they first arrived in the United
States 400 years ago. 

Looking For Solution
Solutions to the problem of the institutionalization of Black youth will
not come easy. To plea for White society to stop imprisoning our future
leaders would likely fall on deaf ears. Most leaders do not look past their
term of government so they take the time to consider the long term implications
of their legislation. In other words, leaders do not consider the results
of having the future leaders of the Black communities imprisoned.
Also most do not care. In the sentencing project it was pointed out that
the "get tough" approach to crime in which there was an increase
of arrests, convictions and lengthy sentences has decreased victimization
rates less than 5% since 1973 . Despite the statistics the "get tough"
trend, which is disproportionately aimed against Blacks, has continued.
What I feel the only solution is, degrading as it may be, is for Blacks
to prove their worth. Blacks must prove that they are worth something to
White society beyond the economic niche they help fill in prison. Blacks
must prove that they are a benefit which Whites cannot do without. Once
We have established ourselves as benefactors then We can begin to break
down the walls of institutional racism, stop the digression of our communities,
and truly advance.