African American Criminalized during Civil War

In the united states one out of every four people will end up incarnated. The united states has the largest prison population in the world with a total of 2.3 million prisoners (according to). The prison population in the united states has reached an extreme high and needs to be decreased. The united states experienced its first prison increase after the civil war. Many African American we criminalized which led them to lose their civil rights. Found in Michelle alexanders the New Jim researchers discovered a racial caste was implemented in to society. Minorities were arrested for minor crimes such as loitering and vagrancy. Mass incarnation was a systematic result of oppression from presidential figures towards African Americans through the war on drugs.

During Richard Nixon’s presidential era mass incarnation reached new heights by declaring a war on crime. Nixon increased federal funding to military and police budgets furthering police brutality. Nixon also declared a war on drugs. Through this era drug dependency and addiction was treated as a crime issue opposed to a heath issue. Hundreds of thousands of people to be placed in jail for low-level marijuana crimes. This caused the Southern Strategy where Nixon recruits former southern white democrats into the republican party. Following president Nixon’s rule president Ronald Regan enforced the war on drug to new extremes allowing police to terrorize minorities more than ever. In 1982 Ronald reign declared the modern war on drugs (according to). Regan created false propaganda to sway public opinion through his wife Just Say No campaign to reinforce the war on drugs. Reagan continued to implement social inequalities by using federal funding to raise the entrepreneurial class. It creates the concept of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The war on drugs took a turn for the worst when communities were introduced to crack cocaine. The crack era caused congress to pass mandatory minimum sentences. mandatory minimum sentences. Mandatory minimum sentences forced judges to impose a minimum prison sentence based on the charges brought against a defendant (cjp.org mandatory). Sentences for having one ounce of crack cocaine was weighed the same for having 100 ounces of powder cocaine. African American and Hispanics were receiving long sentences while white Americans received a slap on the wrist. This caused Drug enforcement funding to triple since 1981(According to). African American and Hispanic men were stripped from families for year long sentences. The war on drugs publicized African American and Hispanics being criminals by televising them in handcuffs.

As media outlets continued to portray African Americans as super predator. A super predator is a youth who commits violent crimes. President George W Bush centered his election on the fear of super predators promising better protection laws. Bush publicized murder Willie Horton who stabbed and raped a couple while released from jail on a weekend pass. By promising Stricker laws on crime Bush paved the way for Bill Clintons Three-Strikes law. A person convicted of their third felony that person is sentenced to prison for the rest of their lives. Following the three strikes law the truth in sentencing law was passed which made sure every prisoner served 85% of their sentencing. In 1994 congress passed a federal crime bill which enforce law enforcements mass incarnation rate. This bill increased state funding to build prisons to house thousands of prisoners and place thousands of officers on the street to stop drug related crimes. 

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