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March 25, 2006
NY Times: Marc Mauer Letter on Incarceration of Young Black Men
NY Times- 3-22-06
To the Editor:
A complex array of factors has come together to produce high rates of unemployment and incarceration for young black men, but one cannot help but conclude that the racial dimension of the problem skews the public policy response.
Consider the national response to Depression-era poverty, a social ill that crossed racial lines.
Major resources and political attention were devoted to W.P.A. job creation and construction of a safety net through Social Security. But as the image of poor people focuses on communities of color, the national response is one of wars on crime and drugs that emphasize harsh punishments over prevention and community-building.
One of every three black men born today can expect to go to prison if current trends continue. This is but one result of the crime policies of recent years that many political leaders tout as successful.
It is difficult to imagine such congratulatory messages being pronounced if we were talking about one in three white men.
Marc Mauer
Executive Director
The Sentencing Project
Washington, March 20, 2006
Posted by lois at March 25, 2006 01:33 PM