DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND CRIMINALIZATION

BY STUDENT

According to Justice Strategies, Arizona has become the incarceration capital of the South West. The rate of prison population growth in 2002 was twice the regional average and the state incarcerates women, Latinos and African Americans at higher rates than its neighbors. Arizona has mandatory sentencing laws, which have severely impacted people of color ("Arizona Prison Crisis: A Call for Smart On Crime Solutions"). Arizona has also been known for their harsh immigration laws such as SB1070. How does the racialization of Latinas/os in US society and its criminal justice system help to promote establish a system premised on biases that continues to empower Whites over people of color? In this blog I argue that the media’s harsh portrayal of the immigrant and minority experience correlates to the unfair treatment given to Latinas/os  in the criminal justice and correctional system in the United States.

As Jose Luis Morin states in Latinas/os and US Prisons: Trends and Challenges, in regards to the media portrayal of Latinas/os, 66% of network news stories about Latinas/os in 2002 focused exclusively on three topics: crime, terrorism, and illegal immigration (Morin 1-24). The evidence presented by Morin shows us the negative impact the media has in portraying Latinas/os as automatic criminals and lawbreakers. Not every Hispanic in this country is illegal, just as not every Hispanic is a criminal. Take into example Arizona’s case with minority. Arizona is a diverse state with multiple generations of U.S. citizens. Three out of every 10 Arizonans are Hispanic, 1 out of 10 is American Indian, and 13 percent are foreign born (Hudson). Arizona law has been known for essentially legalizing racial profiling. It does not prohibit police officers from relying on race or ethnicity in deciding whom to investigate. Local government workers are now given the authority to determine if a person is illegally in the United States based on a “reasonable suspicion” ("Fast Facts on Arizona’s Immigration Crack Down"). Morin makes a compelling argument regarding stereotypes used to describe immigrants, he states, “ While it is assumed that factors such as low education levels and low average wages would predispose immigrants to engage in criminal conduct, in the main, immigrants tend to come to the country highly motivated to use their skills to forge a better life, and are not interested in run-ins with the law that would thwart this goal” (Morin 1-24). I agree with this argument because undocumented immigrants come to this country with the fear of running into problems with the law. Even when in need of help from police they never speak out because they tend to believe that they will be ignored since they have no legal status within this country.

The Justice Strategy makes the point that under Arizona's mandatory sentencing system people convicted of nonviolent offenses make up the majority of state prisoners. One in four is serving time for a property offense, one in five for a drug offense and one in 12 for driving under the influence ("Arizona Prison Crisis: A Call for Smart On Crime Solutions"). When Arizona governor, Jan Brewer was asked by the Biz Pac Review her opinion on illegal immigrants she responded by stating, “We believe in the rule of law, and we can’t afford it, and we certainly can’t afford the criminal element, with Arizona having to deal with the drug cartels” (Dorstewitz). The government is conflating the war on drugs with undocumented immigrants. They label immigrants as  either smuggler or drug users. It is ironic that evidence from Latinas/os and US Prisons found that the overwhelming majority of incarcerated Latinas/os are convicted for relatively minor, nonviolent offenses, and/or are first-time offenders/ Latinas/os are more likely than Whites to be arrested and charged for drug offenses even though they are no more likely than other groups to use illegal drugs, and less likely to use alcohol (Morin 1-24). I write this blog with the same purpose that Morin wrote Latinas/os and US Prisons, that broader acknowledgment of unfair impact of the criminal justice and correctional system could be an important first step toward ending some of the most detrimental facets of the Latina/o experience and media stereotypes.

 (Oliver)

"Arizona Prison Crisis: A Call for Smart On Crime Solutions." Justice Strategies. Justice Strategies / A Tides Center Project, 11 May 2004. Web. 24 Feb 2014. <http://www.justicestrategies.org/publications/2004/arizona-prison-crisis-call-smart-crime-solutions>.

Dorstewitz, Michael. "Jan Brewer: Sorry it offends you, ‘to me they’re illegal immigrants’." Biz Pac Review. BizPac, 25 Apr 2013. Web. 24 Feb 2014. <http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/04/25/jan-brewer-sorry-it-offends-you-to-me-theyre-illegal-immigrants-64456>.

"Fast Facts on Arizona’s Immigration Crack Down." American Progress. Center for American Progress, 23 Apr 2010. Web. 24 Feb 2014. <http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2010/04/23/7551/fast-facts-on-arizonas-immigration-crack-down/>.

Hudson, David. "The Top 5 Reasons Why S.B. 1070—and Laws Like It—Cause Economic Harm." American Progress. Center for American Progress, 25 Jun 2012. Web. 24 Feb 2014. <http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2012/06/25/11677/the-top-5-reasons-why-s-b-1070-and-laws-like-it-cause-economic-harm/>.

Morin, Jose. "Latinas/os and US Prisons: Trends and Challenges ." Latino studies. 6.1-2 (2008): n. page. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <https://blackboard.albany.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_56994_1&url=>.

Oliver, Gary. Racial Profiling . 2010. Graphic. Tikkun Daily, Berkeley, CA . Web. 28 Feb 2014. <http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/author/davebelden/page/7/>.

DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND CRIMINALIZATION

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF LATINOS

BY JOEL

In recent years, Latinos have had the fastest rate of imprisonment of all groups in the country and although there are many states with a large Latino population we clearly see that the criminalization of Latinos is especially relevant in the state of California. Criminalizing Latinos is not a new phenomenon, this is an everyday occurrence which has started since the first sightings of Latinos in the United States. In the late 1900s California was looking at expanding and financing the growth of prisons so much so that Governor Jerry Brown “…had financed prison design studies out of reserve funds appropriated by the legislature and initiated the era of new facilities construction by approving a $25,000,000 expansion at the California Correctional Institution (Gilmore 93).” These expansions and new prisons directly correspond with the increasing rate of imprisonment among Latinos and African Americans. Despite policymakers using an economic logic to explain prison industries, I believe that if local elites and the justice system were not so racist against colored people then there would be no need for these expansions or new prison. This information leads to some basic questions: Could this mass imprisonment crises be resolved? How would a dramatic decrease in Latino arrests affect the prisons in California?

During the late 1900s California had one of the highest rates of prison populations in the country, mostly because “…parole boards were capricious and racist, representing local elites; prisoners sentenced to one year to life languished in the penitentiary for decades… (Gilmore 90).” Since many members of the prison boards were racist this lead to an increase of imprisonment for people of color in general. Many of these prisoners did not belong in the system, the magnitude of their crime was small and they were not dangerous to the well-being of others in society. In fact, many were incarcerated for minor offenses such as carrying drugs. Also, during this time period the conditions in prisons were atrocious “…the CDC could not or would not respect the rights of inmates to ‘adequate life safety, health care and recreation, food, decent eating… and sanitation standards…visitation privileges, and access to legal services (Gilmore 91).” Prisoners fought these conditions which lead to reform in the prison system. This was a victory at last but yet this did not change the fact that the numbers of imprisonment for Latinos and African Americans were still rising.

In Latina/os and US prisons: Trends and Challenges the author states that there are many reasons for the incarceration of Latinos: “the racialization of crime; the manner in which criminal justice policy is formulated and justified around the fear of crime; how the courts and the criminal justice system operate; and the role of the media in promoting negative images of Latinas/os are among the areas explored in discerning contributing factors (Morin 11).” I believe that the mass imprisonment of Latinos in California can be resolved just by passing policies that are fair, Latinos were usually stereotyped for no reason whatsoever as stated by Morin  “Latinas/os are subject to stereotypes that transcend racial myths, with one such stereotype being the false link between immigrants and crime (Morin 11).” Also, if there was a dramatic decrease in Latino imprisonment in California I believe that the state would have a similar situation to what we have here in New York. Prisons would be closed and inmates would be relocated which would then hurt the city’s economy. Although, this is a negative impact on the economy, new industries would have a chance to expand in these areas which would then turn the closing of prisons into a positive aspect.

References:

Gilmore, Ruth. Golden Gulag: prisons, surplus, crisis, and opposition in globalizing California. University of California press, 2007.

Morin, Jose Luis. Latina/os and US prisons: Trends and Challenges. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, NY, 2008.

DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND CRIMINALIZATION

CRIMINALIZATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PLACES AND PEOPLE 

BY: TIARA

African Americans account for around one-half of all arrests in the United States (Hagan and Peterson 1995). This number is high considering they only represent about 12.6 percent of the population (US Census Bureau). According to the book Crime and Inequality, young black males who experience “educational and employment problems” are at a higher risk for imprisonment (Hagan and Perterson 1995). In other words, young black males who live in what America calls “the ghetto” are more likely to be put in jail. Not only are young black men more likely to be imprisoned, but according to the Wall Street Journal, they receive prison sentences that are 20% longer than those of white males for similar crimes (Palazzolo 2013).

I used to think this issue was only really a problem in big places like New York City and Chicago. It was about 4 years ago that I realized that it is happening around me too, in my fairly small county in upstate New York. When I was younger, I would go to my grandparents’ house after school, where 3 of my first cousins lived, to hangout while my parents were at work. We were so close that I considered them to be the siblings I never had. One of my cousins, Darion, got mixed up with the wrong crowd. He ended up getting arrested and being charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon which is a Class C felony. At 17, this was his first and only arrest. The sentence range for a Class C felony in NYS is 3 ½ years minimum and 15 years maximum in a state prison (Reuland). Darion was sentenced to 7 years of prison.

When my family members told me the news, I was confused about why a 17 year old with no prior record received a sentence that was double the mandatory minimum. I realized that Darion had a few things working against him. For starters, he is a young black male. He also had “educational problems,” and our grandparents’ house, where he lived, is considered to be a part of “the ghetto.” Maybe Judge Williams figured he was a lost cause due to these traits and would not amount to anything anyway. When I think about Darion still being in there, I wish Judge Williams knew that I was there, in “the ghetto,” with him every day, and I am soon to be 21 with a bachelor’s degree. Just maybe Judge Williams should have taken into consideration that he was young, and just maybe given him a chance at growing out of his troubled phase. Instead, Darion, on his first and only crime, is serving double the mandatory minimum sentence. 

This issue is not a new one. In the 1920s, only 19.2 percent of young white youth who were found guilty in a court were sentenced to jail or prison, and the percentage of young black youth was more than double that percentage (Muhammad 2010). Unfortunately, I do not see this issue disappearing anytime soon.

  

(NYS Inmate Lookup)

1.     Hagan, John, and Ruth D. Peterson. Crime and inequality. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1995. Print.

2.     "New York Sentencing Chart." Brooklyn New York Criminal Defense Lawyer Robert Reuland RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://www.reulandlaw.com/useful-info/new-york-sentencing-chart/>.

3.     Palazzolo, Joe. "Racial Gaps in Men's Sentencing." Wall Street Journal. N.p., 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324432004578304463789858002?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424127887324432004578304463789858002.html>.

4.     " Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010." American FactFinder . United States Census Bureau, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_SF1DP1&prodType=table>.

5.     Muhammad, Khalil Gibran. The condemnation of blackness: race, crime, and the making of modern urban America. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2010. Print.

STRUGGLING FOR SPACE, CREATING LATINO URBAN CULTURES

HIP HOP AS A PRODUCTION OF URBAN SPACE

BY ASHER

Creativity begins with an idea. Inventors and visionaries brainstorm and ingeniously fix ideas to create new things. Like these creators, the people who lived through the 70s in the Bronx created what is known as the culture of hip-hop. The culture of hip-hop arose from rapping, DJing, graffiti, break dancing and beat boxing “Hip-hop culture emerged as a source for youth of alternative identity formation and social status in a community whose older local support institutions had been all but demolished along with large sectors of its built environment (Rose, 1994).” This culture gave the people of the Bronx an identity and a voice. Through rap/MCing, anyone was able to voice his or her opinions and struggles of what life was like. “Rap music reflects its origin in the hip-hop culture of the young and urban, its function as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group, and, as its popularity has grown, its commercialization and appropriation by the music industry (Blanchard, 1999).” With that, I pose a question about hip-hop that has some significance to many. Would your life have been the same without hip-hop culture?

Arriving to the Bronx as immigrants from the Dominican Republic in ‘89, my parents had no idea what hip-hop was. All they saw were kids hanging out in corners, graffiti on the trains, and a city filled with diversity. Hip-hop culture was associated with crime and violence. Hip-hop wasn’t something my parents wanted me to be a part of. Growing up, hip-hop surrounded me everywhere I went. The culturally infused public schools I attended showed me what diversity really was. Every year, my classes were filled with students from all different backgrounds and beliefs. Ironically, the average Caucasian student in suburban schools was rare in the Bronx. Despite the different ethnic and racial groups, hip-hop culture seemed to be a very influential part of how us kids growing up acted, thought and dressed. Hip-hop culture was literally what my life revolved around. Hip-hop gave me a voice, not so much in a sense speech, but a lifestyle. It allowed me to open my eyes to perceive and express myself in ways that were different to those of non-urban upbringings. Simple things like not getting what I wanted or eating the same basic Dominican meal everyday didn’t bother me because I knew of my family’s struggle. Hip-hop culture put life into perspective.

It is impossible to really tell how my life would have been different without hip-hop, but I know for sure that I would not be the same person I am today. Despite being accustomed to diversity and different racial cultures as a youth, my mentality of how to strive while living in the hood would’ve been different. I wouldn’t have learned the “street smarts” skills, which are basic essentials to survival in the urban environments. Hip-hop exposed me to the mentality needed to question authority, helped me understand why minorities like myself are struggling, and partially show me who I actually am.

Blanchard, Becky. "The Social Significance of Rap & Hip-Hop Culture." EDGE, Ethics of Development in a Global Environment (blog), 07 26, 1999. http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/socialsignificance.htm (accessed February 12, 2014).

Rose, Tricia. Black Noise. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, Hanover, 1994.