What can be done to Address the Incarceration Rate amongst Minorities in this Country?

2015-09-18T10:55:33-04:00

The Incarceration Rate in this Country is ALARMING! African Americans and Latinos are SUPPOSE to make up a Small Percentage in the Populace! However, they Occupy most of the Jails and Prison! What can be done to Address this Issue?

Response by SMSgt Tony Barnes made Sep 18 at 2015 10:56 AM

2015-09-18T10:56:46-04:00

It starts in the home. It's not always unfair arrest practices.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 10:58 AM

2015-09-18T10:58:14-04:00

Demagoguery and something dems (demagoguery) are masters at...lol

Response by SPC Will Keller made Sep 18 at 2015 11:02 AM

2015-09-18T11:02:22-04:00

Bernie Sanders really isn't the best person to quote. However, the money spent on detention should be spent and doubles on prevention. IE Boys & Girls Club, however parents and guardians need to step up and help out if they can. Some people are destined to be habitual offenders. Why focus on just minorities?

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Sep 18 at 2015 11:11 AM

2015-09-18T11:11:33-04:00

First we must define Why people are in prison.

http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004339

The linked site gives a "decent" look at look at some key categories, like Violent Crimes, Drug, Property, and Public-Order Crimes.

Now, this is where things get really tricky. I think most people would agree that violent crimes (Murder, Assault, Rape, etc) should result in prison time, but what about the other categories? Property Crimes would probably also fall in to that category "most" of that time (theft, arson, etc). But what about Drugs & Public Order crimes?

Are all of these worthy of "jail time" or could we find better ways of dealing with them?

Alright, once we get past Why people are in prison, then we need to look at the class of people (minority) in prison. This comes down to socio-economic factors. More crimes in urban areas, where there is a higher concentration of poor. That coincides with a higher concentration of minorities. Ouroboros effect (self-eating snake).

Incarcerated Felon Population by Type of Crime Committed, 1974-2012 - Felon Voting - ProCon.org

Charts of Incarcerated Felon Population by Type of Crime Committed, 1974-2010

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 18 at 2015 11:13 AM

2015-09-18T11:13:16-04:00

First I would say the violent crime rate in this country is somewhat alarming. Thankfully there are some areas which have lowered rates mainly die to improved relationships between local police and the communities they patrol and serve.
Improved relationships between police and those they serve, parents and schools their children attend, helping to keep parents together with their children is by far the most important aspect. Hedonism too off in the 1970's. On the one hand people moved in and out of relationships with no-fault divorce trumpeted as no harm to anybody including children. On the other hand crime and especially violent crime rose as people with little reason to hope increasing joined gangs or engaged in other criminal activities as some kind of payback against whatever.
Bernie Sanders comment above is ludicrous - first he lumps jails [which virtually every community has] and prisons [which are much fewer] and compares them with colleges and and universities. The number of college and universities vastly outnumbers the number of prisons.
One of the ironies of Bernie sander's statements is that many people in prison are educated in more stable environments. One of my sons is incarcerated at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. He is near to completing two baccalaureate degrees after serving 4 of his 35 year sentence.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 11:18 AM

2015-09-18T11:18:37-04:00

Essentially what we're talking about is how to lower the crime rate. Some of that is education, some of it is jobs. The more content a society is and in a sense the more affluent and educated, the less likely its members are to commit crimes.

How to go about resolving both of those is another issue entirely, and one that often ends up drawing party lines, so I'll stop at that. There are valuable concepts on this on both sides of the fence. We do however need to be careful. Some things we have done in the past to try to improve the quality of education overall have done so at the detriment of schools that were already successful.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Sep 18 at 2015 11:28 AM

2015-09-18T11:28:51-04:00

Change the laws on Schedule I drugs, picking up trash along side the road or other contribution to society as punishment for minor infractions, I probably deviate from my normal conservative friends on this. Second solution is to stop breaking the laws. Don't parents counsel their kids? To the best of knowledge, my kids and now grandsons will not use. In part because the family tells them that it is against the law and you can be punished.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 11:32 AM

2015-09-18T11:32:16-04:00

I had the experience of being in charge of a building where the city/county jail was housed. I hated to go into the jail to investigate building problems.

One thing I found is that there were no one in jail that believed themselves to be guilty.

Why do people commit crimes? Everyone has an opinion. Many things contribute, poverty, lack of education, lack of family structure, etc etc.

Fact is crime is committed because the individual chooses to do so.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Sep 18 at 2015 11:35 AM

2015-09-18T11:35:13-04:00

I am a firm believer that prisons should be reserved for criminals. I do not believe that the user or the seller of illicit drugs should fall into that category. We have laws limiting use of Tobacco and Alcohol. We also have laws that stipulate penalties for driving while impaired. These are mostly logical, enforceable laws. Why is the same logic not applied to the harder drugs?

I think that the real problem is numbers. There are more people in the United States than there are jobs. If the people in jail for drug crimes were not in jail, where would they be? They would be in the population seeking employment. Adding numbers to the population. If we did not have the need for as many Drug Enforcement officers, where would those officers be? In the population, seeking employment.

As for more colleges and universities, I don't think it is really the number as it is the cost. An average person cannot afford to attend a college or university without accumulating a mountain of debt. I have a friend who just graduated from College. He has a CJ degree, and is now working as a correctional officer. He has over 50 grand in debt, and he is working for DOC. Even if he gets into a high level Law Enforcement job, that debt is going to be hanging over him for at least a decade.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 11:54 AM

2015-09-18T11:54:42-04:00

I'm probably going to become very unpopular with what I am about to say. While I cannot speak for the rest of the nation, I can speak for my hometown of Omaha, NE. While I was living there, the majority of the crimes were being committed by minorities. I am certainly not saying that the white folks were not committing crimes, only that the majority were done by the minority. In areas that are predominately Black and/or Hispanic, majority of the crimes were committed by the people living there. That, unfortunately, is not racial profiling. That is statistics. Now, let us look at where I live now, which is Pocatello, ID. Predominately, the population is white. There is a fair number of black, latino, arab, pakistani, native, and some asian. But, looking at the crime reports posted in the papers, there is a decent amount of mix of people arrested for various things from DUI to drug possession. But, just a little over the majority of the crimes are again, done by the minorities. Again, statistics. But, let us not look at the race/crime ratio for a moment. Let's look at WHY the minority are committing the majority:

Choices. IMHO, choices are the basic common denominator as to why crimes are committed. No matter the region that one lives in, no matter what the skin color is of a person, there is always a choice to do right or wrong. Come from a broken home: One still has the choice. I came from a broken home. My mother was married and divorced multiple times. She was married to abusive and alcoholic men. Not the most conductive environment for a young boy. But I still chose not to do wrong. Did I have the opportunity to do wrong? Yes I did. Was school hard and difficult at times? Yes, but I still chose to stick to it and get my education. Did I live in violent, crime ridden neighborhoods? Yes, but I still chose not to go with the flow. Were there after school programs and YMCA's in my hometown? Yes. But I could not get to them due to Mom being single or married with only one car in the house and no other way to get there because they were too far to walk. But, I still found a way to keep myself out of trouble. Choices.

But where does the choices begin? At the home. Case in point, let us look at that young teen that was busted on live video participating in the riots and his mom came by and started whooping on him. Based on that, I fairly certain he had a good home life...Mom doing her best to teach her kid(s) right and wrong. BUT he still chose to participate. And he paid the piper to Mom. My mother gave me choices. I can go to school and get my education and do right, or I can not go to school and do wrong and get my 6 whipped by her. Did I have friends and family do drugs? Certainly, but I CHOSE not to do that dumb crap.

Yes, sometimes making those choices can be hard. Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing. Everything that is good coming to you is earned by dedication and hard work and making the right choices.

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Sep 18 at 2015 12:03 PM

2015-09-18T12:03:18-04:00

I don't care if you are a minority or not, how about everyone obey the law and have some respect for authority - that would help a LOT! And it starts with getting MARRIED before you have kids, and then having a MOM & DAD raise their children TOGETHER. I can just about guarantee that the number of "incarcerated minorities" that have not broken the law and have both parents in the home is less than 1%. I don't think the solution is to stop incarcerating them as Barry seems to be suggesting!

Response by SPC David S. made Sep 18 at 2015 12:40 PM

2015-09-18T12:40:18-04:00

With a majority of those in jail are in for drug related offenses (non-violent) it would seem that some how the cost/benefit of selling drugs needs to become less appealing than other more productive opportunities. However I think that is easier said than done - single parent homes, dropping out of school, and other socioeconomic problems need to be addressed. The United States imprisons more people than any other nation in the world – largely due to the so called war on drugs. I feel that minorities are targeted because of gangs and gang violence that are all part of turf wars related to drug sales. Why do people fall into the gang-hood life? I feel this is due as a result of low income/single parent homes. I feel the institutions of family and religion need to be supported in minority communities in order to curb the lure of the hustle. Old data but sheds some light on part of the problem - 63.8 million children were true zero-parent children in 1980, up from 3.5 percent 10 years before. The numbers are far worse among black children: In 1980, 10.6 percent of them lived in parentless households, up from 9.4 percent in 1970.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1995/03/bg1026nbsp-the-real-root-causes-of-violent-crime

The Real Root Causes of Violent Crime: The Breakdown of Marriage, Family, and Community

Policymakers at last are coming to recognize the connection between the breakdown of American families and various social problems.

Response by 1stSgt Jeff Blovat made Sep 18 at 2015 1:00 PM

2015-09-18T13:00:59-04:00

That's a big can of worms. Look at the reason why these people are in jail or prison. Do your best to correct it. Those in leadership positions need to be stressing that families should have 2 parents, stress of staying in school, stress entering the work force instead of crime or drugs. In America we have many God granted rights. BUT with those rights come what is called, "RESPONSIBILTY." That's where many go wrong.

Yes, it is much easier said than done. Though we must start somewhere. Teach people to look in the mirror and ask, "is this what I want out of life?" It has not happened in the last several years. Who's fault is it? You decide......

Response by SrA Daniel Hunter made Sep 18 at 2015 1:03 PM

2015-09-18T13:03:41-04:00

With respect SPC Andrew Griffin 2 of 3 African Americans and 5 of 6 Latinos never spend a day in prison/jail in their lives because they don't break the law. If you look at the proportion of these groups in prison compared to their general population numbers in Latino and African countries you will find a similar result. In the U.S. this is merely a political ploy to entice minority voters to vote Democrat. It is purported to show a social injustice. The real injustice is why so many minorities live lives that by necessity or social pressure put them in a condition where crime is acceptable, or even promoted. Why does a young African American on the South side of Chicago, or a Latino in East L.A. join a gang? Because that is what young men there do, their friends their neighbors. It perpetuates the myth that the system is their enemy and they fight that system by breaking the law. This feeds the myth by compounding the number of incarcerated.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Sep 18 at 2015 1:23 PM

2015-09-18T13:23:34-04:00

Well what answer are you looking for? This is a loaded question with answers that will piss someone off. Me personally on this; you have a for profit prison system (not everywhere) that is set up to want offenders in there. With that, they don't have to work too hard on having their beds filled regardless of skin color. The people in this situation that "pay" for it are the CO's that have to work with extremely bad pay and benefits under tremendous mental and sometimes physical stress. The others are the prisoners themselves. Some prisons aren't rehab facilities and with that in mind, when they do get released, they might as well do an about face and reserve their bed on the spot. They will return. Maybe comparing the return rates of rehab vs. non rehab prisons could give a better picture? Now on the law side, do you honestly want to talk about the injustice that is on the books against minorities in general or do you want to look at the causes of crimes, or do you want to look at the perpetrators and tell them honestly you fucked up and your ass needs to pay? No one goes to jail/prison/ or whatever for doing a crime. They go for getting caught. Now the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime by any skin color. Tighten up weapons laws....nope those haven't worked. They damn sure penalize the legal folks tho! Ok, lets reach out to the communities and do outreach programs, clean up the ghettos, give them better schooling facilities, and then what? I lived in Mayfair Mansions in DC off Minnesota Ave (or gardens depending on time there) and this was done. I also lived on 37th st SE DC. BOTH were the projects. BOTH were ghettos. BOTH were rebuilt with taxpayers money, new schools built or renovated, and you had the civic leaders rolling around talking about a "new age". Ok I lived in both, and I didn't see shit. Sure they painted, plastered, rebuilt, repaved, and made old shit look new. But in the end it STILL was the same OLD SHIT! Why because the attitudes of the people living there hadn't changed. For every one child that had a family working to get out of there (thank God my parents were one of those hard workers), you had ten more chilling asking for more while giving less. You want to talk about recidivism rates talk about changing the mindset. Changing the value system that places a set of Jordans over an education. I remember when they were killing kids off Alabama Ave near Bolling AFB over Starter jackets. I'm very salty to this because it brings up memories some good, but many no so. I knew many VERY intelligent black men and women never make it because of a fucked up mindset. They weren't stupid in the books, they were extremely smart. They were dumber than a box of rocks in what they considered success, and for some that "success" is a long bid. Others is a permanent bid pushing daisies when they could've been enjoying grandkids. I apologize sincerely for my language in my post and if it did offend ANYONE, I ask the admins to take it down immediately. It's just how I feel after being part of this situation and able to see it first hand, not on the news, or in some magazine, but with my own eyes as a child and a man. Looking at families torn apart that knew each other as friends one day and over some BS someone is hurt or dead. Want to worry about something? Worry about changing the mindset. Worry about bringing back personal value of life. Worry about wanting to be a part of something that strengthens you and makes you an example to your peers. I did that when I joined the Army. It hurt to leave them, and when I came home, I knew I'd never be able to hang with them like we used to. I had grown up. They hadn't. Worry about making change, not money change, but change that benefits all, not whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians or whatever, but everyone.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Sep 18 at 2015 1:26 PM

2015-09-18T13:26:04-04:00

SPC Andrew Griffin - I believe the obvious answer, although not easily accomplished, is to reduce the number of crimes committed by African Americans and Latinos.

While I do not have my head buried in the sand (or elsewhere) and realize that there is evidence to show that minorities are incarcerated at a higher rate than Caucasians for similar offenses, that nowhere near explains the real issue. The real issue is the number of minorities committing offenses and, of those, the number who have multiple offenses already on their records (which many studies fail to factor into the equation). However, it is a fact that, if everyone was treated exactly the same, the minority offenders incarcerated would still be much, much higher than non-minority offenders, simply because they are committing the majority of the crimes.

Very simple -- don't do the crime and you won't do the time.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Sep 18 at 2015 1:30 PM

2015-09-18T13:30:01-04:00

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 1:58 PM

2015-09-18T13:58:44-04:00

I'd like to transform the prisons into work centers where the incarcerated make a fair labor wage which would be paid to them month to month after they are released. The work centers should teach trades in construction, welding, and areas that are hard to fill. Hopefully that would result in better reintegration after release. Some states are succeeding very well, but the crazies come out and say they shouldn't be used for labor while in prison.
Perhaps trump is onto something with taking the illegal criminals and having them build the wall.

Response by SPC David Hannaman made Sep 18 at 2015 4:31 PM

2015-09-18T16:31:54-04:00

It's a huge "chicken and the egg" question. I have a retired police friend that says 25% of African American males have been convicted and incarcerated at some point. If you grow up in a neighborhood where 1 in 4 have been arrested, and the police are always watching, the deck is stacked against them to begin with.

Lord knows I did some shady crap growing up. Different neighborhood, different skin color, I might have turned out differently too.

Here's the thing, the only people who can help the African American community IS the African American community.

For a historical reference I point to the Irish. In the 19th century they were often called "White Negros"... and in that uniquely American "Land of opportunity" way they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps... they became Police (almost to the point of it becoming cliche), they ran for office, they shared their culture (who doesn't like a good St Paddy's day party) they took part in the culture around them... in short, they integrated.
Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Irish_sentiment

My hope was that the election of President Obama would show the African American community that EVERY American has opportunity, but sadly it doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe Ben Carson could? He's currently my favorite, not because of the color of his skin, but because he seems to most align with my values.

I don't live in a neighborhood that is predominantly one race or another, it's a young community, the majority of people live here because they moved here. There is a deep history of racism here though, ( Mansfield school desegregation incident ).

My son plays football, some of his best friends are African American... they're all fine upstanding teenagers. It's a team full of good sportsmanship and watching each others back. Teenage boys often more mature than some of the adults I call "friend". I have high hopes for the next generation, I talk about this with my son, I want him to understand the importance of his friendships, I hope he tells his friends, I hope they tell their parents.

Anti-Irish sentiment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anti-Irish sentiment or Hibernophobia may refer to or include racism, oppression, persecution, discrimination, hatred or fear of Irish people as an ethnic group or nation, whether directed against Ireland in general or against Irish emigrants and their descendants in the Irish diaspora.

Response by LTC Trent Klug made Sep 18 at 2015 10:37 PM

2015-09-18T22:37:06-04:00

Funny that you would quote Bernie. Especially since, as a senator, he's not really on record as being against the 100 plus federal prisons, or the laws passed by Congress which instituted new sentences and sentencing guidelines.
I retired from the BOP after 21 years last year. I watched one inmate come back 3 times in five years. Two PV's (the last to finish out the tail) and a new sentence. And let's not talk about all the gangs activity that fall under federal law.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2015 12:02 PM

2015-09-19T12:02:54-04:00

Why are the inner cities with predominantly minority populations the crime centers of this country?

Response by SrA Jonathan Carbonaro made Sep 19 at 2015 12:22 PM

2015-09-19T12:22:43-04:00

Their are two options. One, blame the cops, blame the system, blame everyone else but yourself.
Option 2, Everyone is born equal in this country, you are born with the chance to do right or wrong regardless of the race, economic position, or sexual preference you were born into. Is it harder for some, yes is that their fault no. But you can't blame the system for the environment you were created in, you can only blame yourself for the choices you made.
What we need to do is Stop this Black lives Matter Bull Sh*t that is populating the Facebook newsfeeds and the regular newsfeeds. All Lives matter. The more people ambush cops, the more of an us vs them mentality will be created. And we all LOSE. But this CHANGE THAT WE CAN BELIEVE IN needs to start at the minority level, you need to stand up to your brothers and change things. We need to stop this Hate on Whitey, shoot the piggy, White Privilege bull because none of those people are holding you down.
The more we continue to widen the divide, Rich Vs. Poor, Race, Sex, Sexual Orentitation; the more we are divided and the faster we fall.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2015 12:36 PM

2015-09-19T12:36:46-04:00

http://www.amren.com/features/2014/05/confessions-of-a-public-defender/
Found this shortly after Ferguson started going down. It is a very interesting read about what this public defender has seen since he started his job. Notice these are only observations and not any scientific study so nobody should get bent out of shape.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Sep 19 at 2015 12:54 PM

2015-09-19T12:54:23-04:00

Tell them to stop committing the crimes....Stop putting people in jail for minor offenses such as smoking pot or possession of paraphernalia. ...but unfortunately if these people are just ticketed, they would end up in jail eventually because they would not pay their fee/fine, half of them would not show up to court and then warrants would be issued.

There is no one way to help incarcerate people...whether white, black Asian, Hispanic or whatever....

Also, it does start at home...NORMALLY....but then you have situations like mine...where I was extremely...maybe even orverally strict....but when a kid of 16 meets the wrong people...is given money and drugs and takes the wrong path.....NOTHING YOU DO will change it...unless they see the light...which my kid did not and he's in prison.

STOP giving so much away....Poor WHITES....poor BLACKS....poor HISPANICS....etc....they get on welfare...food stamps....medicaid/medicare and it's hard to get them off. They learn to manipulate and abuse the system....this is why I believe that all of these people who are receiving GOVERNMENT funds SHOULD be drug tested...once every 60 days...Marijuana stays in your system for 30 days...so even if they show a slight level of THC...then their MONEY stops....they can come back in 60 days and try it again...but those who get money again have to be tested in 30 days to make sure they are staying off the drugs....

There should be surprise mandatory testing...out of the blue...someone should get called in and tested...if they are dirty...their FREE MONEY is stopped for 6 months...then they can sign up again, but will have to be tested before benefits start again.

The cost of drug testing will be FAR FAR LESS than the cost of continuing to give ALL of these people FREE GOVERNMENT money.

All of those people receiving SOCIAL SECURITY money due to an injury...those who are recieiving SS temporarily should FIRST be drug tested to make sure they are not a druggy...then they should be tested at 30 days after receiving and then in 6 months.

By drug testing, MANY MANY MANY people will loose their free money...and the cost of drug testing is far less expensive than the cost of throwing money at these folks.

I know for a fact...right her in SA there are many people receiving food stamps...they sell their food stamps for cash so they can buy drugs...and mostly alcohol....

Many of these people who are incarcerated come from these families who live on government assistance....many of these kids grow up without supervision....We have to stop the VICIOUS cycle and get these kids educated and show them a better way of life.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Sep 19 at 2015 1:27 PM

2015-09-19T13:27:27-04:00

Adding one more thing. The guards in these prisons...about 30% of them are decent hard working human being with no grudge or ax to grind...however...Many of these guards are on a power trip....they go out of their way to make prisoners miserable...and the biggest problem is there is NO way to prove it unless a prison puts in secret hidden camera that have audio....so think about this....a person is in prison..doesn't matter what color they are....and there are guards who will either bully you...chastise you....call you names...push you to the edge and break you....the prisoner defends himself and the guard writes you up....a prisoner is taking a shower....three other prisoners come in there....the guard turns a blind eye...these prisoners beat up this one prisoner in the shower....a few days later...one of the guards calls him out because he's got a black eye...in prison it doesn't matter....so this prisoner is written up for fighting, yet he was totally beaten up by three others...this prisoner is in there for drug charges...he's not really a bad person...yet...after getting treated like this over and over and over and over again...what do you think is going to happen to this person once he's set free? He is going to be mad...he's going to have a huge grudge or ax to grind...or he's going to say...I'm not going to let this affect me...I'm going to go on with my life on a better path. PRobably one out of 5000 may choose the right path...

Many people who go to prison, go on what I consider minor charges....but most of the prisoners that are there are pretty bad people...and most of these with minor charges come out of prison way worse off than they went in.

There are gangs....there is organized gambling...they make alcohol...there are more drugs in prison than you would ever imagine there is.

I know these things because I learn them from my son...and I know every time he's beat up...every time a guard looks the other way....every time he's chastised, made fun of ...treated like crap by the BAD guards....There is NOTHING I can do about it....EVERY time I make a complaint....I write them up...I mail and email them in...It's always...oh Ms. Mays an investigation was done and we can not substantiate yours or your sons claims. The guard said...blah blah blah...

I used to be nice...now I tell them they are full of SHIT and that their investigations are a FARCE...One big JOKE cause how can you possibly do an investigation using the same guards at the same facility and think it's going to be fair or that the REAL truth is going to come out.

Most of the people who are in PRISONS have been there already...If Bernie and others think there are too many prisons and too many prisoners...

First, change the laws and stop throwing in people with minor offenses.

Second....Put the ones with Minor offenses all together. Why are they all lumped in with people who have done really bad things or this is their second or third or more times being locked up.

And third...CHANGE the education system and change the way GOVERNMENT hands out money....FREE money to these parents who SHOULD not have CHILDREN..

As you can see this is a real sore subject with me.....

Your headline and what Bernie says is not fair....the reason why more minorities are locked up is because there are more minorities on government assistance....

Change the system ...give these kids a fighting chance and then maybe half of them won't end up in jail and or prison.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Sep 19 at 2015 1:55 PM

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SPC Andrew Griffin The high proportion of arrests in the African-American community is due to the community being an easy target for the police.

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Sep 19 at 2015 2:18 PM

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You have to be raised to do the right things.

Response by SFC Jason Porter made Sep 19 at 2015 2:22 PM

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I believe it is called family a strong mother and father raising children the right way. Teaching responsibility, discipline, schooling etc etc. I don't think it is a racial thing though. But one other thing I failed to mention you can also have a one parent house hold and children can still be taught the right way.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Sep 19 at 2015 2:39 PM

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Well, first of all, we need to educate.
Second of all we need to extricate the prisoners with lesser crimes.
We should have religion preached in jails and prisons; as an option.
We need to have jobs inside the prisons and jails; that will coincide with jobs on the outside.
We need to have compassionate; but guarded visitors.

Response by SPC(P) Warren Soriano made Sep 19 at 2015 2:56 PM

2015-09-19T14:56:42-04:00

Provocative topic. Let me first say that on any other social network, a topic like this would generate a lot of "hate" by trolls. I am new to RP, and thoroughly enjoy the responses. Our military bearing really comes through. Back to the topic at hand. The break-up of the family structure is a huge reason for the rate of incarceration in those respective communities - where the children have no stable male role model. Also, the government is complicit. A large dependency class has been created where almost everything is provided. That said, Bernie Sander's statement is based on a false premise. He is compounding the 'belief' that only because of race, minorities are targeted for arrest, found guilty by trial, then imprisoned.

Response by SPC Andrew Griffin made Sep 19 at 2015 4:28 PM

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FAMILY: I would like to take Each and Everyone of you for taking the Time out and Respond! The Responses were and Filled with a WEALTH of knowledge! I ran out of Votes for the Day! They only give 75! They need to change that!

Response by Cpl Matthew Wall made Sep 19 at 2015 9:39 PM

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They have to reduce the sentence on drug possession.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Sep 19 at 2015 10:42 PM

2015-09-19T22:42:46-04:00

Reduce the black crime rate and you'll see arrests go down.

Response by SSG John Erny made Sep 20 at 2015 7:21 PM

2015-09-20T19:21:43-04:00

The community leaders, families, cities, states, and feds all have to come together to address the problems in African American communities. An entertainment industry that glorifies the gangster life style does not help anyone. We can begin with the children to give them a better life and a slice of the American dream. Those that have already become criminals will stay that way for the most part. The same is true for the latinos in America, but with them you have a secondary problem. Newcomers from the south coming in to the US in huge numbers; some of (not all) these people are already criminals which is only going to fill up prisons. They are not going to be a criminal in Mexico and then come accross the boarder and be a productive member of out scociety. The odds are they are members of a Narco gang rather than just a garden variety criminal and were sent to live in the US.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2015 9:37 PM

2015-09-20T21:37:34-04:00

The only solution to this is unfortunately the deportation of offenders if they came into the country illegally.

The problem with having the minorities occupying the majority of the jails, is a tragedy but if they are offenders found guilty under the legal system then they just have to pay for their crimes. Is not the majorities' fault that minorities are committing more crimes, or "getting caught more often". There are criminals in all races and ethnicities, thats an unavoidable consequence of human nature and behavior.

Another point of view that can be seen as the common norm for uneducated people, is that minorities are being targeted more. Could it be true, maybe but not absolutely definitive. I am a minority, and never had any issues with the law, but I know a lot of people, that got in trouble with the law for doing unnecessary stupid stuff that could have been avoided.

Response by GySgt Moses Lozano made Sep 20 at 2015 9:53 PM

2015-09-20T21:53:34-04:00

I agree, the recidivism rate of the recently incarcerated also continues to increase as well.

First thing would be to change the laws in regards to indigent legal representation. The U. S. constitution guarantees free legal representation but does not guarantee good legal representation. There are too many young kids going to jail and prison for offenses that could be squashed by any decent attorney. Kids who end up in jail usually find it hard to straighten out after incarceration because of the criminal record they have carry around with them.

This is not to say that county defense attorneys are not good but the simple fact is that they are overwhelmed with cases and underpaid.
One remedy for this would be to have all law school students complete at least three months assisting local defense attorneys during their last year of law school.

Response by CPO Andy Carrillo, MS made Sep 20 at 2015 11:00 PM

2015-09-20T23:00:43-04:00

This may sound crazy, but there seems to be a correlation between committing a crime and going to prison upon conviction...or stop enforcing the laws which call for imprisonment. Or release all the prisoners and call it good and fair that no one goes to jail for committing crimes.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Sep 21 at 2015 11:49 AM

2015-09-21T11:49:15-04:00

Maybe the parents of said minorities could do a better job of raising said minorities and instilling in them the ability to know right from wrong, that would be the biggest manner in which we could lessen the numbers, IMO.

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Sep 21 at 2015 7:22 PM

2015-09-21T19:22:05-04:00

Ma Richards of Texas answered this by saying, "if you do a crime in Texas we have a place to put you." I think the high incarceration rate could be reduced by an high reduction of crime in inner cities. Sorry, but the crime rate is what causes high incarceration rates. If fewer people were involved in criminal activity there would be fewer people in jail.

I'm sure most cops would love to write a daily report saying no fights, no drug deals, no thefts and no murders today.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 1:13 AM

2015-09-22T01:13:14-04:00

The incarceration rate is NOT alarming. It is warranted by the crime rate of these same individuals. The worrisome factor is the lack of parenting provided to these same individuals throughout their lives. These children and young adults need to be taught respect. Respect for their elders, respect for teachers, respect for authorities and most of all respect for themselves. There are other factors which can and should be included, but respect is where it starts.
Bottom line, being a parent requires more than simply giving birth to someone.

Response by 1LT Aaron Barr made Sep 25 at 2015 9:58 AM

2015-09-25T09:58:03-04:00

Firstly, end the flawed and failed 'War on Drugs' and parole those convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Second, end welfare and other social services, which disproportionately affect minorities, giving people who cannot even support themselves more money for having children. Third, secure the border and begin systematically deporting illegal aliens which will free up more low-skill jobs for minority men as well as raising wages. Fourth, institute a voucher system nationwide that would give parents a voucher good for the money spent per pupil in each respective school district good for any accredited school within that district. This would help address the problem long-term by giving minorities access to a better education.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2015 10:07 AM

2015-09-25T10:07:40-04:00

Quit committing crimes I suppose??

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Sep 25 at 2015 2:04 PM

2015-09-25T14:04:04-04:00

This is something that has to be dealt with, but how? with what? education? This is something that is going to have to come from within minority communties, it has to be an organic change, its a change they will have to want to make... but... I think the government can help them, but it needs to empower them, a hand up not a hand out.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 26 at 2015 1:17 AM

2015-09-26T01:17:08-04:00

Kindly implore them to WTF up and quit committing the highest number of crimes per capita/race. They have NO legitimate excuses for this statistic. NONE. PERIOD. EOD.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 26 at 2015 2:18 AM

2015-09-26T02:18:52-04:00

Have people stop commiting crimes. Put people to work. Instill common values into society that everyone can agree on. That'll help keep more people out of jail period. Police will police themselves and have less bad apples and the populace as a whole be safer and more law abiding. Oh and have community involvement and actually care about your community and take pride in it. You do that you'll have a better stronger country who has less people committing crimes.

Response by LT Ed Skiba made Dec 20 at 2019 10:44 AM

2019-12-20T10:44:56-05:00

Tell African Americans and Latinos to stop committing crimes!