Protecting Innocence In A Carceral State By Erica R. Meiners

We live in a society where ethnic minorities are target for every minimal action and/or crimes, which is a cause to be sentenced up to 50 years in jail. African Americans and Latinos are the ethnic minorities with highest policing crimes. In chapter two of Michelle Alexander’s book, The Lockdown, we are exposed to the different “crimes” that affects African American and Latino minorities. The criminal justice system is a topic discussed in this chapter that argues the inequality that people of color as well as other Americans are exposed to not knowing their rights. Incarceration rates, unreasonable suspicions, and pre-texts used by officers are things that play a huge role in encountering the criminal justice system, which affects the way

I believe that restorative justice could be a good idea for the United States if it is used correctly. I think that if restorative justice is used correctly, it could really benefit everyone involved: the victim, offender, family, and the community. Some of the restorative justice ways can also help victims move past what has happened to them and live a more normal life again. I think restorative justice would also benefit the United States because it can help the offender have a better life after. I think that restorative justice needs to be used correctly because if it is not done right it could actually cause more harm.

Brian Dwyer 07/14/2017 History 5566 Critical Book Review: The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, writes about how African Americans in the US are still marginally oppressed. Alexander claims that the prison system and laws in America are one of the primary ways that blacks are still in a state of slavery. She says how being, “colorblind” is a nice idea, but does not serve the need to emancipate African Americans from oppression. Alexander does a good job keeping things current, and talking about how our systems are built to hold blacks down, but does not go into much detail about how to fix the issue at hand.

Jaclyn Seigel Doctor Morales PHM2121 30 April 2015 “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” By Michelle Alexander; An Evaluation In “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness” by Michelle Alexander, Alexander explains her opinion on mass incarceration and “The War on Drugs.” Even though “The War on Drugs” took few steps forward to eliminating drug abuse, Michelle Alexander’s book explains how this has created more problems rather than solutions. Alexander focuses on how African American communities have become more vulnerable to the arrests.

Through personal narratives and extensive research, Morris demonstrates how harmful stereotypes and biases held by educators and administrators contribute to the criminalization of Black girls, perpetuating a cycle of inequality and reinforcing racial disparities. The book underscores the importance of examining biases and adopting alternative approaches, such as restorative justice and healing, to create supportive educational environments that uplift Black girls. From a criminological perspective, the book could have delved deeper into strain, labeling, and social control theories to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to the criminalization of Black girls. The criminalization of Black girls in schools has far-reaching consequences for their academic success and prospects, undermining their mental and emotional well-being and eroding their self-worth. Comprehensive reforms prioritizing equity, inclusivity, and the creation of supportive educational environments are necessary to address this issue.

Police Brutality in America and the 1990s The legal system in the United States has been broken since it’s inception, disproportionately attacking, and punishing anyone who is not white. As the country grew, improving, growing prosperous, the broken system continued its work. One result of this broken system is police brutality, and overstepping of police power. In fact, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, of the black people questioned, 70% said they felt they were unfairly treated when dealing with police.

Although communities of organized people have fought to change the view of African Americans individuals, there is still ongoing racism. The current controversy that is surrounding us is the concern of young African American men being targeted by law enforcement. As well as the injustice that these individuals are experiencing when they encounter law enforcement, which has resulted in an increase of police

From Ferguson to Tulsa to Baton Rouge, there have been countless cases of police brutality towards African-American men, women, and children. Murderers never receiving their justice, given paid time off and being cleared of charges. Families living in fear, left torn apart at the hands of people who took an oath to serve and protect. We see people of all races standing together in protest of something we know to be wrong, advocating for much needed social change.

“The more things change, the more they remain the same”. While many Americans feel like the years of enslavement in the United States are a thing of the past. Most do not realize the harsh reality that minorities are faced with on a daily due to the color of their skin. It isn’t that the American people are turning their cheeks to this injustice, but rather, they just aren’t aware that in some cities and towns minorities are racially profiled and subjected to harsher punishments than those of their white counterparts. According to an article posted on American Progress, one in every fifteen African American men and one in every thirty-six Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to one in every one hundred and six white men.

In her book, “Policing Black Lives”, Robyn Maynard discusses how race and gender intersect as compounding factors that push Black girls out of schools [5]. This can lead to what is known as the “School to Prison Pipeline”, where Black girls, who are seen as more deviant in schools receive more surveillance, leading to more punishment such as suspension or expulsion [5]. When out of school, Black girls often are left to spend more time in public spaces, which results in higher rates of police surveillance and harassment, which concludes in higher arrest rates

This week, the readings point the spotlight at the some of the depressing hardships that the African-American population frequently experience. In “Naughty by Nature”, Ann Ferguson covers the different perceptions that society has of colored boys. David Knight’s work “Don’t tell young black males that they are endangered” seeks to explain the differents outcomes of African-American youth that arise when society constantly oppresses them. The last article by Carla O’Connor, “The Culture of Black Femininity and School Success”, focuses on the image of African-American woman that is created as a result of them attempting to preserve in a system that opposes them.

African Americans feel targeted in today’s society because so many innocent African Americans are being incarcerated, shot, and killed. Since 2001, it is 6.1 times likelier to be incarcerated as a black man than a white man. This is all because of skin color. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was a group created to raise awareness for the heinous acts the have presented itself to the black community

This type of justice system is designed very differently when compared with the retributive justice system. The restorative justice system endeavours to bring the victim and the offender together and allow them to speak with each other in the hopes to support the healing process. It will enable the victims to express themselves to the offender and lets the offender apologize and express their feelings to the victim. The restorative justice system often offers the victims of crime closure. The system encourages both parties to reveal themselves to each other and develop a solution for the future to satisfy both parties involved.

Today our justice system has a multitude of options when dealing with those who are convicted of offenses. However, many argue that retributive justice is the only real justice there is. This is mainly because its advantage is that it gives criminals the appropriate punishment that they deserve. The goals of this approach are clear and direct. In his book The Little Book of Restorative Justice, Zehr Howard (2002), illustrates that the central focus of retributive justice is offenders getting what they deserve (p. 30).

Introduction Restorative justice denotes a program that emphasizes respect, responsibility, and establishing and repairing relationships (Umphrey, 2013). The main focus is on agreement instead of punishment to ensure children stay in school. The program also facilitates the development of a safe environment where learning thrives. On another note, restorative justice brings to fore fundamental changes regarding response to violation of rules or misbehavior in schools. Typically, the response to bad behavior has often been punishment; however, restorative justice focuses on resolving disciplinary problems through cooperative and constructive means (Umphrey, 2013).