This blog is intended for students taking Introduction to Sociology with Professor McCoy at UC Davis during spring quarter 2016. It is a private blog administered by Joshua Hayes (TA) for students in sections 1 and 2. This is the location for the blog responses and student comments described in the course syllabus.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Week 9 Blog Posts
Put your Week 9 blog posts under here! Best, Joshua
“11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke
In this article, Lykke addresses the current tensions over the growing trend of police killing unarmed African American men. Though to many, racism existing in the criminal justice system is based mostly on a person’s opinion or could be attributed to the individual, Lykke attempts to illustrate broader societal factors that promote racial tensions. The author uses empirical research on criminology and sociology to prove causality between race and trends with law enforcement. She compiles a list including the following: data has shown that racial threat and income inequality predicted the size of police department. The bigger the threat, the larger the police force. Racial profiling is made apparent with data showing that minority suspects had a 30% more likelihood of being arrested than white suspects. White officers are also more likely to stop black drivers in predominantly white neighborhoods and vice versa. During Ferguson protests, black protesters were often met with harsher response from police compared to white protesters. A great disparity exists between minorities and whites when it comes to sentencing, parole, and plea offers. Undocumented immigrants also have a higher likelihood of being incarcerated. Incarceration also causes disproportionate consequences for minorities after they are released. Blacks that were previously incarcerated have worse employment prospects than whites with criminal records. Minorities also suffer from increased debt and health issues. Collectively, incarceration affects that person’s family and even increases the likelihood of their children becoming homeless. Essentially, by analyzing available data, it is obvious that race does lead to unfair consequences thus adding more barriers and hurdles for minorities to overcome.
I think the data that Lykke brought up displays strong evidence illustrating racial bias in our so-called “just system.” If the author were to rewrite this article she should include more evidence of how incarcerations could affect their children and even force them into committing crimes themselves; thus promoting this cycle of criminal records affecting generations later. It would also prove helpful to show that the social contexts minorities are put in also forces them into a life of crime. At times, the few options that are available to minorities are related to illegal activities. Instead of criminalizing and vindicating them, it would prove more helpful to determine the source of the problem. If the author were to include stronger statistics that basically shows the unfair system minorities have to live with, the article could disprove much of the associations and stereotypes they have of particular races. Lastly, the author could also include a list of solutions that could compliment her findings.
I agreed with your ideas on how Lykke could improve the article. I would be very interested to read about any patterns found in incarcerations affecting children in the future. There are so many studies done on how environment and upbringing impacts individuals. I would like to see if their is a cycle found within generations after someone among that generation is incarcerated. Without a doubt, there are definitely racial stereotypes towards certain groups of people who are predicted to contribute to the “statistic.” I feel that most people don’t think further than their bias, and if generational impacts of incarceration was considered, it would definitely add to people’s perspectives. Personally, I didn’t even think of solutions to the findings while reading the article. I think solutions could make the article more of an opinionated one versus being a more factual, but I could see how additional solutions to the findings could also benefit Lykke in supporting that institutionalized racism definitely still exists.
In the article, “contexts quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” by Lucia Lykke, she discusses the issue of racial inequality in the U.S. For many, the issue of racial inequality remains to be a “matter of opinion rather than empirical fact.” Lykke presents a list of insights from research on how race influences the criminal justice system. When there is a greater presence of minorities in a certain area, there seems to also be greater social control efforts done by the state, this includes law enforcement. For example, minorities were shown to be much more likely to be arrested or searched during a traffic stop as compared to whites. Enforcement disparities were also shown to greatly reflect racial perceptions as there seems to be higher rates of drug related arrests for Black men as compared to White men. Lykke claims that this is the consequence of perception of “who and what constitutes a ‘drug problem’ rather than the realities of offending”. She claims that this disparity seems to demonstrate that the police are making decisions that are not race-neutral. It also no surprise that race plays a huge factor in the process of prosecution, sentencing and parole. This has led to the disproportionately high numbers of minorities in prisons. If the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting if she included more data to support her findings. Lykke brings up several ways in which our criminal justice system targets minorities, however, I think it would further strengthen her argument if she included more data. I think it would be interesting if she interviewed families and individuals about how racial inequality has affected their lives. Also, she could compare occurrences of racial inequality amongst minorities. This would allow us to see whether certain minorities tend to be affected more than others.
I completely agree with your analysis of Lykke's argument. I really like how you emphasized the disparity between law enforcement of whites and African Americans. Many officers make decisions that are not race neutral, and this correlates to the high amounts of minorities in prison like you outlined. However, I think it is so interesting that many aren't aware to these facts, and that to many Americans "racism is an opinion rather than a fact". In your response, I wish you had discussed what causes this lack of knowledge and what perpetuates the 5 myths of racism that were discussed in class.
Like yourself, I wish Lykke had included more empirical data in her analysis. Much of her discussion was based around qualitative facts. Adding numbers and statistics would greatly strengthen the base of her argument.
The article, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” written by Lucia Lykke is about the differing views on racial inequality in the American justice system. Lykke points out that the existence racial inequality is a matter of opinion rather than empirical evidence, which is dangerous. Lykke’s most important argument is that there is empirical evidence that proves that there is definitely racial inequality in the justice system, one fact stating that minority suspects have a 30% higher chance of being arrested than white suspects. Lykke also points out that white police officers racial profile black drivers and search their vehicles at stop signs much more often than white drivers. Another interesting finding is that there are higher rates of drug arrests for black men compared to white men and that police specifically target crack dealers instead of other drugs, which is seen in the documentary “the House we Live in” which showed how drugs associated with blacks (crack cocaine) constituted a harsher penalty in comparison to drugs associated with white people (powder cocaine). Lykke points out that even words can cause serious racial inequality, for example black protestors are called a “mob” whereas whites protesting is simply “disruptive behavior”. We have seen this in class in the “tough guys 2” documentary which points out how black shooters are called out for being black but if the shooter is a white guy, he is simply called a “shooter” with no racial context whatsoever. With this evidence, it is clear that whites are at the top of the racial hierarchy and blacks are at the bottom—white supremacy and white privilege is alive and thriving in this country and one aspect of this can be seen in the racial inequalities in the justice system. Whites have the advantage of not having to wait as long for parole as black people have to, and are at an advantage when it comes to plea offers, prison sentences, and pretrial detention.
If Lykke were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting to expand on the racial inequalities in the justice system by including women of color’s inequalities in the justice system in terms of physical and sexual assault. How are women of color sexual assault victims treated differently in the justice than white women sexual assault victims? Do they get longer sentences than white women or are they treated similarly? The article briefly mentions how Asian defendants were not disadvantaged compared to white people. It would be interesting for Lykke to delve into the model minority idea that America has created and how that affects Asians differently than other minorities in the social justice system. In addition to statistics and studies, I believe this article would benefit if it included personal stories of black people who have been victims of racial inequality in the social justice system to get a more personal perspective.
I definitely agree with your perspective Joanna, I think the author would have greatly benefited from including woman of colors inequality in the justice system in terms of physical and sexual assault. The article repeated we talked about how African-American men face and in balance system and that affected their well-being. But, never in the article does it discuss how racial inequality within the criminal justice system affects women of color. Also I think it would have served a benefit to the author if she included some first person interviews and real-life examples of how the criminal justice system unfairly treated a African-American man or woman, they list a bunch of statistics, but I think a qualitative data such as an interview would've gone a long way. Overall though, I thought the author did a great job writing this piece.
Lucia Lykke discusses Racial inequality and disparity in the justice system in, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system.” Even with the high amount of cases about unarmed black men being killed, there are still several people who believe that race being a factor in such cases and the idea of institutionalized racism as a “matter of opinion.” Lykke then offers a list review of recent findings from research done on sociology and criminology on race and the American justice system. In compiling the list of data, the author found empirical evidence to support the relationship between race and the effect of one’s race on the criminal justice system. The size of the police department is affected by the race/ethnicity because areas with more minorities are viewed as more threatening. Race affects police stops and arrest where a person opposite of the race that is a “majority” in the neighborhood is perceived as more suspicious. Racial perceptions have a part in enforcement disparities where the given example is the fact that crack dealers are targeted more than other drug dealers which leads to higher arrest rates of black men. Protestors are also handled different ways by the police with black protestors labeled as “mobs” and drew more attention by law enforcements. Lykke also explains the ways that race affects sentencing, incarceration, and parole. There is an obvious bias against those of color in the court system in comparison to white Americans. It is also discussed how the harsher sentencing, incarcerations, and paroles with people of color negatively impacts their lives - as well as their families - more than average during and after prison.I found all of Lykke’s points incredibly interesting and important in supporting the ways that the American justice systems works against people of color. The author was able to truly break down empirical evidence from different studies to analyze the issue of institutionalized racism and the criminal justice system. It’s difficult to claim the idea of “institutionalized racism” as merely a “matter of opinion,” after reading this article. Race still has a strong grip on society, and the fight against racism is not over yet. White supremacy and white privilege still affects all aspects of society both in and out of the United States.
If Lucia Lykke were to rewrite the article, I would be interested in more details about how incarcerated people of color and their families are disadvantaged during and after prison. I would like more information to be given about the difficulties in a minority finding work after prison in comparison to a White American’s opportunities. I’d also like more data about the debt that is accumulated by minorities with criminal records because of their lower earnings. I am especially interested in more information about how the family is impacted and how it affects children of those incarcerated. The article is straightforward in listing information and evidence, but I believe it could help the overall article to incorporate real cases with quotes from incarcerated individuals, their families, and workers in the criminal system.
I agree completely with your suggestion of wanting more details or statistics on how incarcerations of minorities affect their families. This is important to consider since minorities already experience a significant disadvantage to begin with. Couple that in with the effects of having a criminal record may provide insurmountable barriers. Lykke goes into the effects of criminal records for people of color compared to that of white americans, but I agree that getting individual stories would be very telling of real consequences that accompanies serving time for minorities. It would also be very beneficial to consider what forces minorities to committing crimes and felonies. By taking these factors into consideration, readers can see the bigger picture that minorities seem to experience a cycle that basically serves as a path to prison.
In the article, the Michelle Alexander shatters many of the mistaken beliefs about the criminal justice system by viewing it in context of the War on Drugs. Our media perpetuates the myth that the primary function of the prison system is to keep our homes and streets safe by singling out dangerous criminals and punishing them. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are more people in prisons today for illicit drug use than all inmates in 1980. In addition, the vast majority of those charged with drug use are convicted for minor offenses. Consent searches, often conducted out of unreasonable suspicion, enable the police to stop and search anybody walking down the street for drugs. This is clearly a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Finally, Michelle Alexander discusses the historical context of the War on Drugs, largely fueled by the Regan administration.
I wish that Michelle Alexander had discussed the criminal justice system/war on drugs alongside with those who are convicted. There is a huge racial inequality in the war on drugs, and the justice system oppresses many minority groups in these cases. This is seen among the disparity between sentences for crack and powder cocaine (whites more common to use the latter compared to African Americans). Furthermore, I wish that Alexander had discussed possible solutions to these issues in the article.
In "11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke, The subject of racial inequality in the criminal justice system is explorer. This investigation was encouraged by the ongoing out rage of police killing unarmed black men.she uses a social science to answer questions about racial inequality in the US. She looked beyond the individual to broader structural forces to see if there really was racial inequality within the criminal justice system. She goes off of research of examples like how "race affects police stops and arrests", and "race matters for punishment outcomes". And in each one the author lays out unbiased statistics that show that race matters in the criminal justice system. She speaks on the cycle that many African-Americans face within the US of incarceration and unwarranted hassling by authorities. She shows how this leads to poverty, health disparity, debt problems, hertz job opportunities, hertz family ideals, and overall makes life more difficult for African-Americans in the United States. If Lucia Lyke work to rewrite this article, I think she could've done a couple of different things. I thought it was very well written and showed great statistical analysis of why African-Americans faced in justice within the criminal justice system, but I would love to hear a concluding argument at the end. Also, I think it would've been very interesting to see other races within the US and how they are treated accordingly. The article seems to be just limited to African-Americans, I would love to see any quality within the Hispanic community as well. Also, the article really doesn't touch on woman of color, are Woman of color treated differently as well? Are they just as likely as bAfrican American men to get pulled over? I think this study could have further supported her argument. Furthermore, I would've loved to seen some first person interviews of real life examples of African-Americans getting treated unfairly within the criminal justice system.
I agree with Daniel that the article is laid out poorly without a concluding statement, by presenting facts in rapid-fire, but leaving any substantial analysis to the reader. This is important information, and Lykke clearly spent time collecting the information and compiling it in the way she did, but it lacked any unique insight. A comparison to women of color or other minorities would be interesting as well, although the article does briefly discuss disparities between black and hispanic communities. I think that what is included in the article is good, but it's what is missing that seems to hurt it. I don't know that interviews would have necessarily made this article stronger. There is a clear argument to be made, and it is nicely laid out with a significant amount of research behind it. All that I think needs to be done is to have the article tied together with a conclusion.
In the article, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system”, Lucia Lykke points out how there is empirical evidence showing that there is racial inequality in our country’s justice system. One interesting argument and evidence that she states is that white police officers pull over black drivers at stop signs far more often than white drivers, hinting that cops racially profile African American drivers. Perhaps what I found the most interesting was when she presented the argument that black men are arrested more for drug related crimes than white men, which is synonymous with information presented in the documentary, “The House We Live in”, that we watched on Monday in class. Having two sources presenting the same information that black men are targeted more by the justice system (especially drug crimes) makes the argument more powerful. Along with this, the author states that race plays a huge role in sentencing when people are convicted of crimes. People of color often have far more harsh sentences, and the author shows how there is obviously a bias based on the color of your skin in our justice system. The author does a great job explaining each of her points, providing evidence, and bringing the issue of inequality of our justice system to light.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think there are a couple things she could have mentioned. First, I think it would support her argument if she showed how other minorities are treated in the justice system; she mentions only how African Americans are treated, it might be interesting to include other races as well. Also, I think she should include more about the lives of minorities after they get out of prison compared to white americans. For example, she could provide more evidence on minorities getting jobs after prison versus whites getting jobs after prison. Last, I think she could have included more about how women of color are treated in our justice system. The article talks about men of color in terms of conviction, sentencing, and parole but it would be interesting to see if women of color face the same obstacles and are also treated unfairly.
I definitely agree with you that her argument has become more powerful once all the evidence and supporting data we have comes together. It just seems that this issue has become somewhat passive in our society and bringing all the data and evidence together may allow those who are ignorant to become more aware. I also agree with you, I would like to see how other minorities are treated because we see that separation in our society, it is present in the News and especially with the political campaigns going on right now, there is a big emphasis on immigrants and minorities. As an immigrant myself, I would like to see more evidence on other minority groups in our society.
I completely agree with you in that the author should provide more evidence to support her argument. I liked how the author listed the various ways African Americans are discriminated against, however, I think it would greatly support her argument if she had more real life examples. I think it would be very interesting if she interviewed a family and followed how discrimination has directly affected their lives. Also, I think it would be very interesting to see if she compared how African Americans are treated to how Whites are treated. I also agree that it would be interesting to see if African American women are treated any differently than African American males.
“11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke
The author’s most important argument in the article is about the issues of racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Lucia mentions that in places with higher amounts of minorities, law enforcement is more present and tough. She also talks about how police stop and arrest rates can be higher depending on what race you are. For example, if a black man were to get pulled over, there is a higher chance that his car would be searched than if it were a white person being pulled over. The same example mentioned in the documentary was brought up about how possession or use of crack has a harsher punishment then other drugs. This is because of the minorities associated with crack, making it an easy, but racist, way to discriminate and arrest these minorities. Lucia goes over many other example of how there is inequality in the criminal justice system and helps to shed light on the racial/minority discrimination that goes on.
I think the author did a great job in going over most of the instances where minorities are being mistreated in the criminal justice system. If the author were to rewrite the article, my only advise would be to expand on each point. The author goes over eleven points in total and only writes around three sentences for each point. I think it would be more beneficial to further develop each point to strengthen her argument. More real life examples can make the issue more “real” and digestible to people who may not have known this discrimination is going on. Rather than just saying there is a problem, giving an abundance of examples allows the readers to see the discrimination in the eyes of the people being discriminated against.
I agree that the author brings up some very important instances of how race plays a role in the criminal justice system, and I also agree that she could expand upon each point. I like that she cites lots of studies and seems to have done her research, but it's difficult to grasp all the points of each argument (including all the evidence and data) when she only provides a couple sentences worth of summary for each study. Not only could she include more examples, but she could also include more data from each study. Having solid numbers to back up her claims would solidify her argument further.
When it comes to the studies regarding policing, she summarizes studies that claim white police officers racially profile people in racially segregated communities. My question is, are white police officers the only ones that do this? Does racial profiling not occur at all in racially mixed neighborhoods? Her claim/the studies' claims seem very black and white (no pun intended) in that it is only white cops who racially profile people, and it seems hard to believe that the real world is so clearly defined in this way.
In the article "contexts quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system" the author discusses several racial differences experiences in our criminal justice system. He highlights 11 different factors that vary between race and how it affects people of color and whites. He breaks it down into 3 main categories: Policing, "Sentencing, incarceration, and parole", and Consequences of racial inequality in the CJS. By and large each point illustrates how even today blacks and other minorities are negatively affected by racial biases that hamper their everyday life. From being stopped more often, searched more often, getting harsher pre trial treatment in terms of nail, waiting longer for bail, and having less job opportunities after conviction. The article provides concrete statistics for trends that many people thought died out after the civil rights movements. If the author were to rewrite the article I would try and add a human element to it. Interviews with people would add real context and a human face. For example interviewing police chiefs, police officers, retired officers on these trends and get what they think. I assume some may be aware of these tendencies. Also interviewing blacks affected by our CJS, getting interviews from Judges. It would be interesting to see what they think of the data provided and see if they have any justification for the practices. Also it could expand the data to hispanics more as they are a growing minority in the United States.
I agree with Majd that adding a human element to the article would be beneficial and grab more readers' attention. Providing faces and stories to the statistics will make readers more empathetic and/or sympathetic and therefore more engaged in the topic at hand. Interviewing police officers that agree with the racial inequality in the social justice system may add more credibility to the topic for people who do not believe these inequalities exist. Having police officers confirm these inequalities exist will most likely sway skeptical people's views. Also providing interviews with black people affected by these injustices will open up many people's eyes to the true horror of the criminal justice system and then changes could occur. I also agree that the data in this article could expand to hispanics, for they are also negatively affected by the social justice system.
In her article, "11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system," Lucia Lykke presents a list that informs the population of empirical racial inequality that exists in our society. Lykke points out "that for many Americans the existence of racial inequality in the criminal justice system and U.S. society in general is a matter of opinion rather than empirical fact," therefore with the data that she has collected, she informs the population of this ongoing issue that still exists in our society. One of the points that stood out to me the most is when she speaks of Incarceration hurts job opportunities. In that section it is pointed out that if a Black and Hispanic person with a clean record were to apply for a job, the white person with a criminal record is most likely to get that job. Regardless of work history, background, knowledge, the work force is discriminatory in who they hire based on racial profiling. Many places racially profile a person based on their first and last name. Another point that was interesting to me is that when people are protesting against something, the Black protestors are known as "mobs" and white protestors are known to have "disruptive behavior." These are only a few of stereotypes engrained in our society that allows for people to create divisions based on the color of skin and yet people believe there is so racism today. The root cause of racism is from the individual. No matter how many policies are set in place it still comes back to the individual and how they decide to treat others.
If Lykke were to rewrite this, again as I have mentioned before in other articles, I think it would be interesting to have responses from individuals who consciously or subconsciously make decisions to discriminate. I would like to see if they are aware of their actions or if they are not. Because sometimes people are not educated (and I do not mean school necessarily), so they can be ignorant to the issues around them. Racial inequality may be passive to them because either they have grown up with watching people discriminate or they have the privileges that other do not have and care more to look out for themselves than others. So I think it would be interesting to get a response from those individuals who impose such inequalities.
I agree with you that it would support her argument to have people who consciously and subconsciously discriminate. I would be interested to know the difference in their responses regarding issues discussed in this article. I completely agree with your argument that people who are not as knowledgeable about the issues in society may be quick to judge others and discriminate based on the little information they have seen in the media. I also said it would support her argument if she showed how other minorities are treated in the justice system; she mentions only how African Americans are treated. I thought it would be interesting to hear about other minorities as well. Going off your idea that you would like to get a response from those individuals who impose such inequalities; it may be helpful to ask why people feel certain ways about people of color, and I think the media would be a huge part of that.
“Contexts Quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” by Lucia Lykke
In Lucia Lykke’s article, “Contexts Quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system,” she addresses the racial disparity in the US prison system and how this affects the livelihood of the minorities before, during, and after their prison time. She points out that many people consider racial inequality with regards to the criminal justice system a matter of opinion, rather than fact. Lykke debunks this perspective by providing hard empirical evidence and statistics that show there is a clear link between race and the way people are dealt with in the prison system. In areas where there exist higher concentrations of racial minorities, there are greater numbers of police officers and more police stops and arrests. It is evident that police forces specifically target African Americans, as 32.5% of black men have a felony conviction compared 4.6% of Hispanic men and 1.6% of white men. In regards to punishment, Black and Latino convicts do not receive the same treatment as white convicts. Furthermore, they often wait longer for parole decisions, despite obvious differences in situational and personal aspects. Post prison time, minorities have a difficult time being successful in the job market. Black and Latino applicants are less likely to get an interview for a job than their white counterparts with a criminal record, despite having a clean background. Additionally, it has been shown that prisons are linked to bad health, such as heart disease, hypertension, and depression, and increases the chances their children with parents who had been in prison to eventually end up incarcerated themselves. Because minorities inevitably end up in prison longer than whites and more often than whites, all of these factors contribute to the racial gap between races in the US prison system.
If the author were to rewrite her article, I think it would be interesting if she compared and described specific cases where an African American and a white individual are convicted of similar charges, but treated differently during their trial, given an obviously different punishment, and different parole offers. By comparing real cases, the author can solidify her claims and show that racial inequality in the criminal justice system is not something that can be debated by opinion. Additionally, I think she should interview children of minority race with parents who had been incarcerated and how this affects their opinion about prison, about crime, and about their chance of ending up in prison themselves. By adding these personal insights, it can support how minorities are subject to a continuous cycle of incarceration due to racial discriminations and biases.
I agree with Elizabeth's idea of comparing real cases where a Black and a White individual are convicted of the same charge but treated/ punished differently. Comparing real cases really helps solidify the authors credibility and as Elizabeth said proves her argument "is not something that can be debated by opinion." Like I mentioned in my post, having an abundance of real life examples makes it easier for the reader to see the issue from a different view point. I also like her idea of interviewing children to see there views on the issue, and how they are affected by the discrimination in the criminal justice system. This is just added information that helps back up her main points. The more real life information and direct interviews an author adds to their paper, the stronger the argument becomes.
I agree with the point of real cases that show the different punishments people receive via race. It seems to be a prevalent problem that shows up and even the black community is aware when in Kanye West songs you hear "Jerome gets more time than Brandon". Children's interviews can go a long way of showing the psychological affects on them of having their parent incarcerated. Sometimes the children get lost in the data. I would probably assume that having parents incarcerated would increase a childs chance of ending up in prison as well and I believe this data would show truly how bad it is.
Lykke – “11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System
Lykke addresses the process of the way the criminal justice system unfairly targets black individuals by compiling a series of studies. She looks at the effects of policing, sentencing, and the prison system on black men. There are clear inequalities that cause black men to be arrested more, have more severe sentencing, and have harder times after prison than their white counterparts. These compound on each other to create a system where about a third of black men are trapped in the criminal justice system. Police are more likely to patrol neighborhoods with black populations, blacks are more likely to be stopped than white people, and the arrest rates are even higher. Sentencing is much more harsh, and the parole boards are biased against black individuals. Once a black man gets out of prison, he will have a large amount of debt and be unable to find good paying work. He will be in poorer health, and his family will suffer as well. Each of these on their own are minor racial biases, but the system as a whole is cheating black men, and they are suffering immeasurably for it.
If Lykke were to rewrite the article, I think it would be interesting to look at why these racial biases are occurring. Looking at how racial biases occur, there tend to be predators who take advantage of racial fears for profit, as seen with real estate agents prior to the Fair Housing Act. The private prison industry has a large incentive to have more individuals locked up for longer amounts of time, and they may be playing off of the fears of respectable white folks. A look into the role of private prisons in policing and sentencing would potentially be valuable. If there were anything else to add to the article, I think a concluding paragraph would have been useful. There is a clear argument being framed, but I felt like I was left with a bunch of loose ends hanging.
I agree with Matthew that looking into what resulted in these racial biases would be helpful. This would give the readers a better understanding of how this phenomenon occurred. Also, by knowing the history about this racial inequality in the criminal justice system, it would be helpful for people to tackle the problem. Also, I agree that a concluding paragraph would make the article clearer. Now the author had thrown a lot of research data to us but it is kind of messy and hard for the readers to comprehend. So it would be helpful if the author could make a conclusion out of all the information and state the focus of the article.
The author’s most important argument is the War on Drugs, which resulted in a huge increase in drug offense convictions, is the main cause of the mass incarceration in America. She discusses how the methods of the War on Drugs, starting with arrests, trap individuals in the criminal justice system, and how the government has played a major role in the rise in drug arrests and convictions. The War on Drugs, set forth by the Reagan administration, essentially chucked civil liberties out the window – especially the Fourth Amendment against unlawful search and seizure. Police are allowed to stop and search a person for drugs under the pretext of a traffic violation, or simply by asking to speak with that person on the street. In addition, in order to arrest people for drug offenses, a massive amount of people must be sorted through, the majority of which are innocent. Police departments were given cash incentives by the government to beef up their anti-drug efforts and are allowed to keep whatever assets are seized during an arrest. Both of these can be very large incentives for police departments to continue their crusade against drugs. Mandatory sentencing laws also put people behind bars who are not violent. As a result, they may spend 15 years in prison simply for possessing a small amount of crack (for example). Once this person is out of jail, or has even pled guilty to a drug charge, he or she is labeled as a felon and is discriminated against. This lack of re-assimilation into society can then lead to a vicious cycle in and out of prison.
While I think the author addresses her argument very thoroughly, she could add more data to her argument. She quotes many people and cites court cases and other authors, but she does not have much in the way of numbers to support her claims. For example, she could provide numbers for how often police officers are looking for drugs when they stop someone for a traffic violation, how many people that are stopped and searched for drugs actually have drugs as compared to how many people are stopped and searched total, or how often a SWAT team causes damage to innocent people while looking for drugs. Having more statistics could add more tangibility and evidence for her argument in addition to the evidence she already has.
I agree with Zoe that having more statistical evidence would strengthen Michelle Alexander’s article. I feel that Alexander choose to exclude things like in text sources and difficult statistical vocabulary to make the reading more digestible for the average reader. That being said, as a college student I’m usually approach absolute language with trepidation. If you state that previous presidents were politically motivated when creating the war on drugs, it should be backed up with at least a few sentences of hard data. I agree with Zoe because absolute statements need evidence that is more or less irrefutable.
I agree with Zoe’s idea that if Michelle Alexander were to add more data and statistics to her article it would help her support her claims. She could find data to add to many aspects of her argument, such as values for the amounts of money that the government provided police departments to make them prioritize the Drug War. As Zoe mentions, it would also be interesting if she included data about how often the police search for drugs when they stop people for traffic violations. She could include data about the demographics of these people stopped so we could see if the police more frequently stop poor people, people of color, people with beat-up cars, people with vans, or people with another criterion. If Alexander were to add more data to her argument, it could help strengthen her argument and it could serve as evidence that changes should to be made to the criminal justice system and the laws that restrict police.
The author’s most important argument is that our criminal justice system is broken, when it comes to narcotics. The war on drugs, which has been used as a political tool by every president starting with Nixon, has resulted in mass incarcerations rather than aiding people with addictions. This war was incentivized by policy makers by giving the police huge grants to employ a Gestapo like attitude towards drug possession. Police officers can now stop and frisk people suspected of carrying drugs by asking vague consent questions or dragging out a car search, essential stripping away our fourth amendment right. And the citizens that the officers do bust on crime is a small percentage of the people actually searched, estimates of 5% are actually involved in illicit activity. And if someone is arrested on a drug related crime he or she is likely looking at a lengthy prison sentence due to minimum sentencing laws placed around drugs. An example comes from a man sentence to life with not prior convictions for trying to sell .672 kilograms of crack cocaine. And if a person is able to make it out of prison, the label felon follows them around everywhere they go. This label makes it very difficult to go back to school and get a job. This argument is important because it shows how corrupt and misguided our judicial system has become and without this information people would be defenseless against these violations of human decency.
If the author were to rewrite this article I would like to see more images of the police brutality and graphs displaying the data. Now that we live in such a technologically savvy society there is bound to be images showing how a police officer unlawfully searched a victim. Showing images like this would keep the reader engaged because these big blocks of text can get monotonous. Also showing, in a graph, how incarcerations rates are increasing while crime is decreasing would also be a good addition to this article. I would like to know by exactly how much crime is decreasing, is it slight or dramatic. The same goes for incarceration rates. This would allow the readers to decide for themselves if the incarceration is indeed a problem.
I agree with Quinn that images of police brutality and statistical graphs would help engage the reader and solidify the information presented in the article. They would leave a lasting impact on the reader and maybe encourage the reader to research more into the topic. I also agree that showing how incarceration rates are increasing while crime is decreasing would be a pivotal point the author could make to debunk the belief that criminal inequality is just a matter of opinion. By providing statistics and graphs relating to this, it could highlight the author's argument while also giving the reader more in depth information and sparking their interest.
11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System
The author argues that there are racial inequality within the criminal justice system. For example, police officers are more likely to stop and arrest black people more than white people. And while white protests are labeled as "disruptive behaviors, black protests are labeled as "mob" instead. The author also argues that research have shown that black and latinos are at a disadvantage during crime charges and they have more serious sentences. They are more likely to be imprisoned and sentences to longer periods in jail. And with these disadvantages, the author states that racial minorities with criminal records have less job opportunities and lower earnings than Whites with criminal records. This shows that even the criminal justice system has discrimination towards racial minorities.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I would suggest her to add in more numbers and datas. With more numerical evidence, it would be more convincing and gives the readers a better picture of the situation. Also, I think it would be nice if the author included quotes of the judicial authorities and see if they agree with the situation that they discriminate. It would be helpful to hear both sides of the story. On the other hand , including the voices of racial minorities and their thoughts on them being discriminated even in the criminal justice system would be helpful for us to understand their situation. I would like to know if they are aware of it at the first place.
The New Jim Crow: "The Lockdown" by Michelle Alexander
In “The New Jim Crow,” Michelle Alexander’s main argument is that the War on Drugs has led to the mass imprisonment of many nonviolent criminals and that it has been inappropriately exploited by the federal government and police departments for their own gain. The Reagan Administration used the War on Drugs as a means to gain political power, and because drug altercations were on the decline during their term, they bribed local and state police forces to prioritize drug sentencing. Police departments received large grants from the federal government and were able to keep belongings they seized from individuals during the Drug War. Police are also given a large freedom to search people for the possession of drugs, including searching individuals through “consent searches” and searching vehicles via Operation Pipeline. Many innocent people are rudley searched, and the police often use stereotypes to target minorities for searches. For those who are caught with the possession of illegal drugs, mandatory sentencing laws often keep them in prisons for prolonged periods of time and negative stigmas associated with felons make their reentry into society difficult. Alexander emphasizes that it is a myth that the War on Drugs is concerned with large-scale drug dealers and harmful drugs, and reiterates that it’s purpose is to serve as a political tactic where police are given inappropriate authority to search innocent people and to jail nonviolent criminals.
If Michelle Alexander were to rewrite her article, it would be interesting for her to add more information about how the War on Drugs has negatively affected the lives of those incarcerated and their families. She mentions that people who are incarcerated often have trouble re-entering society, so it would be interesting if she expanded on this and interviewed people about the issues they have faced. She could look at how frequently released people are rejected from job interviews, how their families react to them, and how they emotionally respond to reentering society. People imprisoned from the War on Drugs and released probably have difficulty finding jobs because of their criminal records and may experience resentment from family members who are angry that they haven’t been present in their lives. If individuals experience these factors, they are likely to also have adverse psychological effects due to a difficult re-entry into society. For people who are incarcerated and not released from prison, Alexander could interview their families to see how living without a loved one has affected their lives. Documenting the difficulties of people incarcerated from the War on Drugs and the struggles their families face could help provide evidence to reduce mandatory sentencing laws so drug users and deals can learn from their mistakes and get better rather than worse.
I agree with Ashley that expanding on the difficulties regarding reintegration and the family impacts that are associated with mandatory sentencing laws would help build a better case for the ineffective nature of them. Mandatory sentencing laws in effect have resulted in a poor outcome for both the nation at large because of the costs of imprisonment, for the family, and for the individual. Ashley’s suggestions to include the family aspect and the re-entering society aspect would help to support how the war on drugs has had unintended and unfortunate consequences. There are times when new fathers face a long sentence which results in the child not growing up with a father. I can imagine that those who come out of long sentences may find themselves detached from their family networks and from society at large.
The author’s main argument is that the War on Drugs has resulted in a system of mass incarceration that primarily targets people of color. Alexander supports this claim by referring to the dramatic increase in incarceration rates that are attributed to drug offenses. Alexander explains this increase by describing the measures that the Court has approved to make it easier to conduct random searches. Alexander also goes into how the system itself perpetuates the massive incarceration rates. Within most communities, illegal drug use was initially not a big concern, however, the federal government incentivized making drug-law enforcement a priority through grants. Furthermore, mandatory sentencing laws made it exceptionally difficult for those convicted to reintegrate into society resulting in a higher chance that they would make it back to prison. This argument is important because it highlights how our current system is not effective.
If the author were to re-write the article, I would like to read an exploration of how other countries deal with controlled substances. It would be interesting to see if there are other countries that attribute as much resources as the US towards drug-law enforcement and if their citizens hold similar or different views towards these drugs. I would also be interested in knowing if there are countries that have a greater emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation for drug addiction cases. If those do exists I would like to know their success rate and the cost it takes to run those programs. This may provide insight on alternatives that the US can consider implementing to improve their criminal justice system.
I completely agree with all the points you brought up. I definitely agree that Alexander’s main point is that the War on Drugs has resulted in mass incarcerations for particularly those of color. Additionally, I agree that this is due to court rulings that allow more random searches for drugs. It is also due to the government incentivizing law enforcement to make drugs a priority where there previously was not a concern, like you mentioned. Also, I completely agree that laws and sentencing practices make it very difficult for individuals to successfully stay out of prison. I also really like your idea to add how other countries control drug use and how that might differ from what the US is doing.
In this article from Michelle Alexander, I think her main point is that the War on Drugs has resulted in mass incarcerations and unreasonable searches, particularly in the colored community. She notes that “convictions for drug offenses are the single most important cause of the explosion in incarceration rates in the US". In addition, many of the people being arrested are for low level drugs, such as marijuana, and for drug possessions more so than drug sales. Additionally, nowadays the Fourth Amendment does not hold up for search and seizures-cops do not have to have probable reason to search an individual, rather simply a hunch is usually enough. Also people unknowingly give consent to officers to search them when the cops are shouting at them. During the Reagan administration they created Operation Pipeline in 1984 which taught officers how to use and lengthen ordinary traffic stops to look for drugs, and people can be stopped for any number of regular reasons and be searched for drugs. In addition, law enforcement was given money to wage the war on drugs when they originally did not want to, as well as they get to keep money and assets they seize from individuals during drug raids. Lastly, most individuals caught during drug searches get unnecessarily long sentences compared to violent crimes, and often get life imprisonment or spend their life going in and out of prison.
If the author was to rewrite this article I think she should include some personal perspectives. For example, Alexander could include interviews from multiple individuals who were arrested for drug charges and ask how their experience was with law enforcement. She could also interview people who were searched and not found with drugs, and individuals who were searched and found with drugs. She could then analyze how their experiences differ. In addition, she could interview law enforcement personal from different areas around the nation, and compare those who wanted to wage the war on drugs and those who did not. Alexander could also compare law enforcement in more violent areas with law enforcement in less violent areas.
“11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke
ReplyDeleteIn this article, Lykke addresses the current tensions over the growing trend of police killing unarmed African American men. Though to many, racism existing in the criminal justice system is based mostly on a person’s opinion or could be attributed to the individual, Lykke attempts to illustrate broader societal factors that promote racial tensions. The author uses empirical research on criminology and sociology to prove causality between race and trends with law enforcement. She compiles a list including the following: data has shown that racial threat and income inequality predicted the size of police department. The bigger the threat, the larger the police force. Racial profiling is made apparent with data showing that minority suspects had a 30% more likelihood of being arrested than white suspects. White officers are also more likely to stop black drivers in predominantly white neighborhoods and vice versa. During Ferguson protests, black protesters were often met with harsher response from police compared to white protesters. A great disparity exists between minorities and whites when it comes to sentencing, parole, and plea offers. Undocumented immigrants also have a higher likelihood of being incarcerated. Incarceration also causes disproportionate consequences for minorities after they are released. Blacks that were previously incarcerated have worse employment prospects than whites with criminal records. Minorities also suffer from increased debt and health issues. Collectively, incarceration affects that person’s family and even increases the likelihood of their children becoming homeless. Essentially, by analyzing available data, it is obvious that race does lead to unfair consequences thus adding more barriers and hurdles for minorities to overcome.
I think the data that Lykke brought up displays strong evidence illustrating racial bias in our so-called “just system.” If the author were to rewrite this article she should include more evidence of how incarcerations could affect their children and even force them into committing crimes themselves; thus promoting this cycle of criminal records affecting generations later. It would also prove helpful to show that the social contexts minorities are put in also forces them into a life of crime. At times, the few options that are available to minorities are related to illegal activities. Instead of criminalizing and vindicating them, it would prove more helpful to determine the source of the problem. If the author were to include stronger statistics that basically shows the unfair system minorities have to live with, the article could disprove much of the associations and stereotypes they have of particular races. Lastly, the author could also include a list of solutions that could compliment her findings.
DeleteHi Floriana,
I agreed with your ideas on how Lykke could improve the article. I would be very interested to read about any patterns found in incarcerations affecting children in the future. There are so many studies done on how environment and upbringing impacts individuals. I would like to see if their is a cycle found within generations after someone among that generation is incarcerated. Without a doubt, there are definitely racial stereotypes towards certain groups of people who are predicted to contribute to the “statistic.” I feel that most people don’t think further than their bias, and if generational impacts of incarceration was considered, it would definitely add to people’s perspectives. Personally, I didn’t even think of solutions to the findings while reading the article. I think solutions could make the article more of an opinionated one versus being a more factual, but I could see how additional solutions to the findings could also benefit Lykke in supporting that institutionalized racism definitely still exists.
In the article, “contexts quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” by Lucia Lykke, she discusses the issue of racial inequality in the U.S. For many, the issue of racial inequality remains to be a “matter of opinion rather than empirical fact.” Lykke presents a list of insights from research on how race influences the criminal justice system. When there is a greater presence of minorities in a certain area, there seems to also be greater social control efforts done by the state, this includes law enforcement. For example, minorities were shown to be much more likely to be arrested or searched during a traffic stop as compared to whites. Enforcement disparities were also shown to greatly reflect racial perceptions as there seems to be higher rates of drug related arrests for Black men as compared to White men. Lykke claims that this is the consequence of perception of “who and what constitutes a ‘drug problem’ rather than the realities of offending”. She claims that this disparity seems to demonstrate that the police are making decisions that are not race-neutral. It also no surprise that race plays a huge factor in the process of prosecution, sentencing and parole. This has led to the disproportionately high numbers of minorities in prisons.
ReplyDeleteIf the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting if she included more data to support her findings. Lykke brings up several ways in which our criminal justice system targets minorities, however, I think it would further strengthen her argument if she included more data. I think it would be interesting if she interviewed families and individuals about how racial inequality has affected their lives. Also, she could compare occurrences of racial inequality amongst minorities. This would allow us to see whether certain minorities tend to be affected more than others.
Hi Biftu,
DeleteI completely agree with your analysis of Lykke's argument. I really like how you emphasized the disparity between law enforcement of whites and African Americans. Many officers make decisions that are not race neutral, and this correlates to the high amounts of minorities in prison like you outlined. However, I think it is so interesting that many aren't aware to these facts, and that to many Americans "racism is an opinion rather than a fact". In your response, I wish you had discussed what causes this lack of knowledge and what perpetuates the 5 myths of racism that were discussed in class.
Like yourself, I wish Lykke had included more empirical data in her analysis. Much of her discussion was based around qualitative facts. Adding numbers and statistics would greatly strengthen the base of her argument.
The article, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” written by Lucia Lykke is about the differing views on racial inequality in the American justice system. Lykke points out that the existence racial inequality is a matter of opinion rather than empirical evidence, which is dangerous. Lykke’s most important argument is that there is empirical evidence that proves that there is definitely racial inequality in the justice system, one fact stating that minority suspects have a 30% higher chance of being arrested than white suspects. Lykke also points out that white police officers racial profile black drivers and search their vehicles at stop signs much more often than white drivers. Another interesting finding is that there are higher rates of drug arrests for black men compared to white men and that police specifically target crack dealers instead of other drugs, which is seen in the documentary “the House we Live in” which showed how drugs associated with blacks (crack cocaine) constituted a harsher penalty in comparison to drugs associated with white people (powder cocaine). Lykke points out that even words can cause serious racial inequality, for example black protestors are called a “mob” whereas whites protesting is simply “disruptive behavior”. We have seen this in class in the “tough guys 2” documentary which points out how black shooters are called out for being black but if the shooter is a white guy, he is simply called a “shooter” with no racial context whatsoever. With this evidence, it is clear that whites are at the top of the racial hierarchy and blacks are at the bottom—white supremacy and white privilege is alive and thriving in this country and one aspect of this can be seen in the racial inequalities in the justice system. Whites have the advantage of not having to wait as long for parole as black people have to, and are at an advantage when it comes to plea offers, prison sentences, and pretrial detention.
ReplyDeleteIf Lykke were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting to expand on the racial inequalities in the justice system by including women of color’s inequalities in the justice system in terms of physical and sexual assault. How are women of color sexual assault victims treated differently in the justice than white women sexual assault victims? Do they get longer sentences than white women or are they treated similarly? The article briefly mentions how Asian defendants were not disadvantaged compared to white people. It would be interesting for Lykke to delve into the model minority idea that America has created and how that affects Asians differently than other minorities in the social justice system. In addition to statistics and studies, I believe this article would benefit if it included personal stories of black people who have been victims of racial inequality in the social justice system to get a more personal perspective.
I definitely agree with your perspective Joanna, I think the author would have greatly benefited from including woman of colors inequality in the justice system in terms of physical and sexual assault. The article repeated we talked about how African-American men face and in balance system and that affected their well-being. But, never in the article does it discuss how racial inequality within the criminal justice system affects women of color. Also I think it would have served a benefit to the author if she included some first person interviews and real-life examples of how the criminal justice system unfairly treated a African-American man or woman, they list a bunch of statistics, but I think a qualitative data such as an interview would've gone a long way. Overall though, I thought the author did a great job writing this piece.
DeleteLucia Lykke discusses Racial inequality and disparity in the justice system in, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system.” Even with the high amount of cases about unarmed black men being killed, there are still several people who believe that race being a factor in such cases and the idea of institutionalized racism as a “matter of opinion.” Lykke then offers a list review of recent findings from research done on sociology and criminology on race and the American justice system. In compiling the list of data, the author found empirical evidence to support the relationship between race and the effect of one’s race on the criminal justice system. The size of the police department is affected by the race/ethnicity because areas with more minorities are viewed as more threatening. Race affects police stops and arrest where a person opposite of the race that is a “majority” in the neighborhood is perceived as more suspicious. Racial perceptions have a part in enforcement disparities where the given example is the fact that crack dealers are targeted more than other drug dealers which leads to higher arrest rates of black men. Protestors are also handled different ways by the police with black protestors labeled as “mobs” and drew more attention by law enforcements. Lykke also explains the ways that race affects sentencing, incarceration, and parole. There is an obvious bias against those of color in the court system in comparison to white Americans. It is also discussed how the harsher sentencing, incarcerations, and paroles with people of color negatively impacts their lives - as well as their families - more than average during and after prison.I found all of Lykke’s points incredibly interesting and important in supporting the ways that the American justice systems works against people of color. The author was able to truly break down empirical evidence from different studies to analyze the issue of institutionalized racism and the criminal justice system. It’s difficult to claim the idea of “institutionalized racism” as merely a “matter of opinion,” after reading this article. Race still has a strong grip on society, and the fight against racism is not over yet. White supremacy and white privilege still affects all aspects of society both in and out of the United States.
ReplyDeleteIf Lucia Lykke were to rewrite the article, I would be interested in more details about how incarcerated people of color and their families are disadvantaged during and after prison. I would like more information to be given about the difficulties in a minority finding work after prison in comparison to a White American’s opportunities. I’d also like more data about the debt that is accumulated by minorities with criminal records because of their lower earnings. I am especially interested in more information about how the family is impacted and how it affects children of those incarcerated. The article is straightforward in listing information and evidence, but I believe it could help the overall article to incorporate real cases with quotes from incarcerated individuals, their families, and workers in the criminal system.
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DeleteI agree completely with your suggestion of wanting more details or statistics on how incarcerations of minorities affect their families. This is important to consider since minorities already experience a significant disadvantage to begin with. Couple that in with the effects of having a criminal record may provide insurmountable barriers. Lykke goes into the effects of criminal records for people of color compared to that of white americans, but I agree that getting individual stories would be very telling of real consequences that accompanies serving time for minorities. It would also be very beneficial to consider what forces minorities to committing crimes and felonies. By taking these factors into consideration, readers can see the bigger picture that minorities seem to experience a cycle that basically serves as a path to prison.
DeleteThe Lockdown
ReplyDeleteIn the article, the Michelle Alexander shatters many of the mistaken beliefs about the criminal justice system by viewing it in context of the War on Drugs. Our media perpetuates the myth that the primary function of the prison system is to keep our homes and streets safe by singling out dangerous criminals and punishing them. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are more people in prisons today for illicit drug use than all inmates in 1980. In addition, the vast majority of those charged with drug use are convicted for minor offenses. Consent searches, often conducted out of unreasonable suspicion, enable the police to stop and search anybody walking down the street for drugs. This is clearly a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Finally, Michelle Alexander discusses the historical context of the War on Drugs, largely fueled by the Regan administration.
I wish that Michelle Alexander had discussed the criminal justice system/war on drugs alongside with those who are convicted. There is a huge racial inequality in the war on drugs, and the justice system oppresses many minority groups in these cases. This is seen among the disparity between sentences for crack and powder cocaine (whites more common to use the latter compared to African Americans). Furthermore, I wish that Alexander had discussed possible solutions to these issues in the article.
In "11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke, The subject of racial inequality in the criminal justice system is explorer. This investigation was encouraged by the ongoing out rage of police killing unarmed black men.she uses a social science to answer questions about racial inequality in the US. She looked beyond the individual to broader structural forces to see if there really was racial inequality within the criminal justice system. She goes off of research of examples like how "race affects police stops and arrests", and "race matters for punishment outcomes". And in each one the author lays out unbiased statistics that show that race matters in the criminal justice system. She speaks on the cycle that many African-Americans face within the US of incarceration and unwarranted hassling by authorities. She shows how this leads to poverty, health disparity, debt problems, hertz job opportunities, hertz family ideals, and overall makes life more difficult for African-Americans in the United States.
ReplyDeleteIf Lucia Lyke work to rewrite this article, I think she could've done a couple of different things. I thought it was very well written and showed great statistical analysis of why African-Americans faced in justice within the criminal justice system, but I would love to hear a concluding argument at the end. Also, I think it would've been very interesting to see other races within the US and how they are treated accordingly. The article seems to be just limited to African-Americans, I would love to see any quality within the Hispanic community as well. Also, the article really doesn't touch on woman of color, are Woman of color treated differently as well? Are they just as likely as bAfrican American men to get pulled over? I think this study could have further supported her argument. Furthermore, I would've loved to seen some first person interviews of real life examples of African-Americans getting treated unfairly within the criminal justice system.
I agree with Daniel that the article is laid out poorly without a concluding statement, by presenting facts in rapid-fire, but leaving any substantial analysis to the reader. This is important information, and Lykke clearly spent time collecting the information and compiling it in the way she did, but it lacked any unique insight. A comparison to women of color or other minorities would be interesting as well, although the article does briefly discuss disparities between black and hispanic communities. I think that what is included in the article is good, but it's what is missing that seems to hurt it. I don't know that interviews would have necessarily made this article stronger. There is a clear argument to be made, and it is nicely laid out with a significant amount of research behind it. All that I think needs to be done is to have the article tied together with a conclusion.
Delete
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system”, Lucia Lykke points out how there is empirical evidence showing that there is racial inequality in our country’s justice system. One interesting argument and evidence that she states is that white police officers pull over black drivers at stop signs far more often than white drivers, hinting that cops racially profile African American drivers. Perhaps what I found the most interesting was when she presented the argument that black men are arrested more for drug related crimes than white men, which is synonymous with information presented in the documentary, “The House We Live in”, that we watched on Monday in class. Having two sources presenting the same information that black men are targeted more by the justice system (especially drug crimes) makes the argument more powerful. Along with this, the author states that race plays a huge role in sentencing when people are convicted of crimes. People of color often have far more harsh sentences, and the author shows how there is obviously a bias based on the color of your skin in our justice system. The author does a great job explaining each of her points, providing evidence, and bringing the issue of inequality of our justice system to light.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think there are a couple things she could have mentioned. First, I think it would support her argument if she showed how other minorities are treated in the justice system; she mentions only how African Americans are treated, it might be interesting to include other races as well. Also, I think she should include more about the lives of minorities after they get out of prison compared to white americans. For example, she could provide more evidence on minorities getting jobs after prison versus whites getting jobs after prison. Last, I think she could have included more about how women of color are treated in our justice system. The article talks about men of color in terms of conviction, sentencing, and parole but it would be interesting to see if women of color face the same obstacles and are also treated unfairly.
I definitely agree with you that her argument has become more powerful once all the evidence and supporting data we have comes together. It just seems that this issue has become somewhat passive in our society and bringing all the data and evidence together may allow those who are ignorant to become more aware. I also agree with you, I would like to see how other minorities are treated because we see that separation in our society, it is present in the News and especially with the political campaigns going on right now, there is a big emphasis on immigrants and minorities. As an immigrant myself, I would like to see more evidence on other minority groups in our society.
DeleteI completely agree with you in that the author should provide more evidence to support her argument. I liked how the author listed the various ways African Americans are discriminated against, however, I think it would greatly support her argument if she had more real life examples. I think it would be very interesting if she interviewed a family and followed how discrimination has directly affected their lives. Also, I think it would be very interesting to see if she compared how African Americans are treated to how Whites are treated. I also agree that it would be interesting to see if African American women are treated any differently than African American males.
Delete“11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System” by Lucia Lykke
ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument in the article is about the issues of racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Lucia mentions that in places with higher amounts of minorities, law enforcement is more present and tough. She also talks about how police stop and arrest rates can be higher depending on what race you are. For example, if a black man were to get pulled over, there is a higher chance that his car would be searched than if it were a white person being pulled over. The same example mentioned in the documentary was brought up about how possession or use of crack has a harsher punishment then other drugs. This is because of the minorities associated with crack, making it an easy, but racist, way to discriminate and arrest these minorities. Lucia goes over many other example of how there is inequality in the criminal justice system and helps to shed light on the racial/minority discrimination that goes on.
I think the author did a great job in going over most of the instances where minorities are being mistreated in the criminal justice system. If the author were to rewrite the article, my only advise would be to expand on each point. The author goes over eleven points in total and only writes around three sentences for each point. I think it would be more beneficial to further develop each point to strengthen her argument. More real life examples can make the issue more “real” and digestible to people who may not have known this discrimination is going on. Rather than just saying there is a problem, giving an abundance of examples allows the readers to see the discrimination in the eyes of the people being discriminated against.
I agree that the author brings up some very important instances of how race plays a role in the criminal justice system, and I also agree that she could expand upon each point. I like that she cites lots of studies and seems to have done her research, but it's difficult to grasp all the points of each argument (including all the evidence and data) when she only provides a couple sentences worth of summary for each study. Not only could she include more examples, but she could also include more data from each study. Having solid numbers to back up her claims would solidify her argument further.
DeleteWhen it comes to the studies regarding policing, she summarizes studies that claim white police officers racially profile people in racially segregated communities. My question is, are white police officers the only ones that do this? Does racial profiling not occur at all in racially mixed neighborhoods? Her claim/the studies' claims seem very black and white (no pun intended) in that it is only white cops who racially profile people, and it seems hard to believe that the real world is so clearly defined in this way.
In the article "contexts quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system" the author discusses several racial differences experiences in our criminal justice system. He highlights 11 different factors that vary between race and how it affects people of color and whites. He breaks it down into 3 main categories: Policing, "Sentencing, incarceration, and parole", and Consequences of racial inequality in the CJS. By and large each point illustrates how even today blacks and other minorities are negatively affected by racial biases that hamper their everyday life. From being stopped more often, searched more often, getting harsher pre trial treatment in terms of nail, waiting longer for bail, and having less job opportunities after conviction. The article provides concrete statistics for trends that many people thought died out after the civil rights movements.
ReplyDeleteIf the author were to rewrite the article I would try and add a human element to it. Interviews with people would add real context and a human face. For example interviewing police chiefs, police officers, retired officers on these trends and get what they think. I assume some may be aware of these tendencies. Also interviewing blacks affected by our CJS, getting interviews from Judges. It would be interesting to see what they think of the data provided and see if they have any justification for the practices. Also it could expand the data to hispanics more as they are a growing minority in the United States.
I agree with Majd that adding a human element to the article would be beneficial and grab more readers' attention. Providing faces and stories to the statistics will make readers more empathetic and/or sympathetic and therefore more engaged in the topic at hand. Interviewing police officers that agree with the racial inequality in the social justice system may add more credibility to the topic for people who do not believe these inequalities exist. Having police officers confirm these inequalities exist will most likely sway skeptical people's views. Also providing interviews with black people affected by these injustices will open up many people's eyes to the true horror of the criminal justice system and then changes could occur. I also agree that the data in this article could expand to hispanics, for they are also negatively affected by the social justice system.
DeleteIn her article, "11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system," Lucia Lykke presents a list that informs the population of empirical racial inequality that exists in our society. Lykke points out "that for many Americans the existence of racial inequality in the criminal justice system and U.S. society in general is a matter of opinion rather than empirical fact," therefore with the data that she has collected, she informs the population of this ongoing issue that still exists in our society. One of the points that stood out to me the most is when she speaks of Incarceration hurts job opportunities. In that section it is pointed out that if a Black and Hispanic person with a clean record were to apply for a job, the white person with a criminal record is most likely to get that job. Regardless of work history, background, knowledge, the work force is discriminatory in who they hire based on racial profiling. Many places racially profile a person based on their first and last name. Another point that was interesting to me is that when people are protesting against something, the Black protestors are known as "mobs" and white protestors are known to have "disruptive behavior." These are only a few of stereotypes engrained in our society that allows for people to create divisions based on the color of skin and yet people believe there is so racism today. The root cause of racism is from the individual. No matter how many policies are set in place it still comes back to the individual and how they decide to treat others.
ReplyDeleteIf Lykke were to rewrite this, again as I have mentioned before in other articles, I think it would be interesting to have responses from individuals who consciously or subconsciously make decisions to discriminate. I would like to see if they are aware of their actions or if they are not. Because sometimes people are not educated (and I do not mean school necessarily), so they can be ignorant to the issues around them. Racial inequality may be passive to them because either they have grown up with watching people discriminate or they have the privileges that other do not have and care more to look out for themselves than others. So I think it would be interesting to get a response from those individuals who impose such inequalities.
I agree with you that it would support her argument to have people who consciously and subconsciously discriminate. I would be interested to know the difference in their responses regarding issues discussed in this article. I completely agree with your argument that people who are not as knowledgeable about the issues in society may be quick to judge others and discriminate based on the little information they have seen in the media. I also said it would support her argument if she showed how other minorities are treated in the justice system; she mentions only how African Americans are treated. I thought it would be interesting to hear about other minorities as well. Going off your idea that you would like to get a response from those individuals who impose such inequalities; it may be helpful to ask why people feel certain ways about people of color, and I think the media would be a huge part of that.
Delete“Contexts Quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system” by Lucia Lykke
ReplyDeleteIn Lucia Lykke’s article, “Contexts Quicklit: 11 recent sociological findings on race and the criminal justice system,” she addresses the racial disparity in the US prison system and how this affects the livelihood of the minorities before, during, and after their prison time. She points out that many people consider racial inequality with regards to the criminal justice system a matter of opinion, rather than fact. Lykke debunks this perspective by providing hard empirical evidence and statistics that show there is a clear link between race and the way people are dealt with in the prison system. In areas where there exist higher concentrations of racial minorities, there are greater numbers of police officers and more police stops and arrests. It is evident that police forces specifically target African Americans, as 32.5% of black men have a felony conviction compared 4.6% of Hispanic men and 1.6% of white men. In regards to punishment, Black and Latino convicts do not receive the same treatment as white convicts. Furthermore, they often wait longer for parole decisions, despite obvious differences in situational and personal aspects. Post prison time, minorities have a difficult time being successful in the job market. Black and Latino applicants are less likely to get an interview for a job than their white counterparts with a criminal record, despite having a clean background. Additionally, it has been shown that prisons are linked to bad health, such as heart disease, hypertension, and depression, and increases the chances their children with parents who had been in prison to eventually end up incarcerated themselves. Because minorities inevitably end up in prison longer than whites and more often than whites, all of these factors contribute to the racial gap between races in the US prison system.
If the author were to rewrite her article, I think it would be interesting if she compared and described specific cases where an African American and a white individual are convicted of similar charges, but treated differently during their trial, given an obviously different punishment, and different parole offers. By comparing real cases, the author can solidify her claims and show that racial inequality in the criminal justice system is not something that can be debated by opinion. Additionally, I think she should interview children of minority race with parents who had been incarcerated and how this affects their opinion about prison, about crime, and about their chance of ending up in prison themselves. By adding these personal insights, it can support how minorities are subject to a continuous cycle of incarceration due to racial discriminations and biases.
I agree with Elizabeth's idea of comparing real cases where a Black and a White individual are convicted of the same charge but treated/ punished differently. Comparing real cases really helps solidify the authors credibility and as Elizabeth said proves her argument "is not something that can be debated by opinion." Like I mentioned in my post, having an abundance of real life examples makes it easier for the reader to see the issue from a different view point. I also like her idea of interviewing children to see there views on the issue, and how they are affected by the discrimination in the criminal justice system. This is just added information that helps back up her main points. The more real life information and direct interviews an author adds to their paper, the stronger the argument becomes.
DeleteI agree with the point of real cases that show the different punishments people receive via race. It seems to be a prevalent problem that shows up and even the black community is aware when in Kanye West songs you hear "Jerome gets more time than Brandon". Children's interviews can go a long way of showing the psychological affects on them of having their parent incarcerated. Sometimes the children get lost in the data. I would probably assume that having parents incarcerated would increase a childs chance of ending up in prison as well and I believe this data would show truly how bad it is.
DeleteLykke – “11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System
ReplyDeleteLykke addresses the process of the way the criminal justice system unfairly targets black individuals by compiling a series of studies. She looks at the effects of policing, sentencing, and the prison system on black men. There are clear inequalities that cause black men to be arrested more, have more severe sentencing, and have harder times after prison than their white counterparts. These compound on each other to create a system where about a third of black men are trapped in the criminal justice system. Police are more likely to patrol neighborhoods with black populations, blacks are more likely to be stopped than white people, and the arrest rates are even higher. Sentencing is much more harsh, and the parole boards are biased against black individuals. Once a black man gets out of prison, he will have a large amount of debt and be unable to find good paying work. He will be in poorer health, and his family will suffer as well. Each of these on their own are minor racial biases, but the system as a whole is cheating black men, and they are suffering immeasurably for it.
If Lykke were to rewrite the article, I think it would be interesting to look at why these racial biases are occurring. Looking at how racial biases occur, there tend to be predators who take advantage of racial fears for profit, as seen with real estate agents prior to the Fair Housing Act. The private prison industry has a large incentive to have more individuals locked up for longer amounts of time, and they may be playing off of the fears of respectable white folks. A look into the role of private prisons in policing and sentencing would potentially be valuable. If there were anything else to add to the article, I think a concluding paragraph would have been useful. There is a clear argument being framed, but I felt like I was left with a bunch of loose ends hanging.
I agree with Matthew that looking into what resulted in these racial biases would be helpful. This would give the readers a better understanding of how this phenomenon occurred. Also, by knowing the history about this racial inequality in the criminal justice system, it would be helpful for people to tackle the problem. Also, I agree that a concluding paragraph would make the article clearer. Now the author had thrown a lot of research data to us but it is kind of messy and hard for the readers to comprehend. So it would be helpful if the author could make a conclusion out of all the information and state the focus of the article.
Delete"The Lockdown" by Michelle Alexander
ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument is the War on Drugs, which resulted in a huge increase in drug offense convictions, is the main cause of the mass incarceration in America. She discusses how the methods of the War on Drugs, starting with arrests, trap individuals in the criminal justice system, and how the government has played a major role in the rise in drug arrests and convictions. The War on Drugs, set forth by the Reagan administration, essentially chucked civil liberties out the window – especially the Fourth Amendment against unlawful search and seizure. Police are allowed to stop and search a person for drugs under the pretext of a traffic violation, or simply by asking to speak with that person on the street. In addition, in order to arrest people for drug offenses, a massive amount of people must be sorted through, the majority of which are innocent. Police departments were given cash incentives by the government to beef up their anti-drug efforts and are allowed to keep whatever assets are seized during an arrest. Both of these can be very large incentives for police departments to continue their crusade against drugs. Mandatory sentencing laws also put people behind bars who are not violent. As a result, they may spend 15 years in prison simply for possessing a small amount of crack (for example). Once this person is out of jail, or has even pled guilty to a drug charge, he or she is labeled as a felon and is discriminated against. This lack of re-assimilation into society can then lead to a vicious cycle in and out of prison.
While I think the author addresses her argument very thoroughly, she could add more data to her argument. She quotes many people and cites court cases and other authors, but she does not have much in the way of numbers to support her claims. For example, she could provide numbers for how often police officers are looking for drugs when they stop someone for a traffic violation, how many people that are stopped and searched for drugs actually have drugs as compared to how many people are stopped and searched total, or how often a SWAT team causes damage to innocent people while looking for drugs. Having more statistics could add more tangibility and evidence for her argument in addition to the evidence she already has.
I agree with Zoe that having more statistical evidence would strengthen Michelle Alexander’s article. I feel that Alexander choose to exclude things like in text sources and difficult statistical vocabulary to make the reading more digestible for the average reader. That being said, as a college student I’m usually approach absolute language with trepidation. If you state that previous presidents were politically motivated when creating the war on drugs, it should be backed up with at least a few sentences of hard data. I agree with Zoe because absolute statements need evidence that is more or less irrefutable.
DeleteI agree with Zoe’s idea that if Michelle Alexander were to add more data and statistics to her article it would help her support her claims. She could find data to add to many aspects of her argument, such as values for the amounts of money that the government provided police departments to make them prioritize the Drug War. As Zoe mentions, it would also be interesting if she included data about how often the police search for drugs when they stop people for traffic violations. She could include data about the demographics of these people stopped so we could see if the police more frequently stop poor people, people of color, people with beat-up cars, people with vans, or people with another criterion. If Alexander were to add more data to her argument, it could help strengthen her argument and it could serve as evidence that changes should to be made to the criminal justice system and the laws that restrict police.
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ReplyDeleteThe New Jim Crow: Chapter 2- The Lockdown
ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument is that our criminal justice system is broken, when it comes to narcotics. The war on drugs, which has been used as a political tool by every president starting with Nixon, has resulted in mass incarcerations rather than aiding people with addictions. This war was incentivized by policy makers by giving the police huge grants to employ a Gestapo like attitude towards drug possession. Police officers can now stop and frisk people suspected of carrying drugs by asking vague consent questions or dragging out a car search, essential stripping away our fourth amendment right. And the citizens that the officers do bust on crime is a small percentage of the people actually searched, estimates of 5% are actually involved in illicit activity. And if someone is arrested on a drug related crime he or she is likely looking at a lengthy prison sentence due to minimum sentencing laws placed around drugs. An example comes from a man sentence to life with not prior convictions for trying to sell .672 kilograms of crack cocaine. And if a person is able to make it out of prison, the label felon follows them around everywhere they go. This label makes it very difficult to go back to school and get a job. This argument is important because it shows how corrupt and misguided our judicial system has become and without this information people would be defenseless against these violations of human decency.
If the author were to rewrite this article I would like to see more images of the police brutality and graphs displaying the data. Now that we live in such a technologically savvy society there is bound to be images showing how a police officer unlawfully searched a victim. Showing images like this would keep the reader engaged because these big blocks of text can get monotonous. Also showing, in a graph, how incarcerations rates are increasing while crime is decreasing would also be a good addition to this article. I would like to know by exactly how much crime is decreasing, is it slight or dramatic. The same goes for incarceration rates. This would allow the readers to decide for themselves if the incarceration is indeed a problem.
I agree with Quinn that images of police brutality and statistical graphs would help engage the reader and solidify the information presented in the article. They would leave a lasting impact on the reader and maybe encourage the reader to research more into the topic. I also agree that showing how incarceration rates are increasing while crime is decreasing would be a pivotal point the author could make to debunk the belief that criminal inequality is just a matter of opinion. By providing statistics and graphs relating to this, it could highlight the author's argument while also giving the reader more in depth information and sparking their interest.
Delete11 Recent Sociological Findings on Race and the Criminal Justice System
ReplyDeleteThe author argues that there are racial inequality within the criminal justice system. For example, police officers are more likely to stop and arrest black people more than white people. And while white protests are labeled as "disruptive behaviors, black protests are labeled as "mob" instead. The author also argues that research have shown that black and latinos are at a disadvantage during crime charges and they have more serious sentences. They are more likely to be imprisoned and sentences to longer periods in jail. And with these disadvantages, the author states that racial minorities with criminal records have less job opportunities and lower earnings than Whites with criminal records. This shows that even the criminal justice system has discrimination towards racial minorities.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I would suggest her to add in more numbers and datas. With more numerical evidence, it would be more convincing and gives the readers a better picture of the situation. Also, I think it would be nice if the author included quotes of the judicial authorities and see if they agree with the situation that they discriminate. It would be helpful to hear both sides of the story. On the other hand , including the voices of racial minorities and their thoughts on them being discriminated even in the criminal justice system would be helpful for us to understand their situation. I would like to know if they are aware of it at the first place.
The New Jim Crow: "The Lockdown" by Michelle Alexander
ReplyDeleteIn “The New Jim Crow,” Michelle Alexander’s main argument is that the War on Drugs has led to the mass imprisonment of many nonviolent criminals and that it has been inappropriately exploited by the federal government and police departments for their own gain. The Reagan Administration used the War on Drugs as a means to gain political power, and because drug altercations were on the decline during their term, they bribed local and state police forces to prioritize drug sentencing. Police departments received large grants from the federal government and were able to keep belongings they seized from individuals during the Drug War. Police are also given a large freedom to search people for the possession of drugs, including searching individuals through “consent searches” and searching vehicles via Operation Pipeline. Many innocent people are rudley searched, and the police often use stereotypes to target minorities for searches. For those who are caught with the possession of illegal drugs, mandatory sentencing laws often keep them in prisons for prolonged periods of time and negative stigmas associated with felons make their reentry into society difficult. Alexander emphasizes that it is a myth that the War on Drugs is concerned with large-scale drug dealers and harmful drugs, and reiterates that it’s purpose is to serve as a political tactic where police are given inappropriate authority to search innocent people and to jail nonviolent criminals.
If Michelle Alexander were to rewrite her article, it would be interesting for her to add more information about how the War on Drugs has negatively affected the lives of those incarcerated and their families. She mentions that people who are incarcerated often have trouble re-entering society, so it would be interesting if she expanded on this and interviewed people about the issues they have faced. She could look at how frequently released people are rejected from job interviews, how their families react to them, and how they emotionally respond to reentering society. People imprisoned from the War on Drugs and released probably have difficulty finding jobs because of their criminal records and may experience resentment from family members who are angry that they haven’t been present in their lives. If individuals experience these factors, they are likely to also have adverse psychological effects due to a difficult re-entry into society. For people who are incarcerated and not released from prison, Alexander could interview their families to see how living without a loved one has affected their lives. Documenting the difficulties of people incarcerated from the War on Drugs and the struggles their families face could help provide evidence to reduce mandatory sentencing laws so drug users and deals can learn from their mistakes and get better rather than worse.
I agree with Ashley that expanding on the difficulties regarding reintegration and the family impacts that are associated with mandatory sentencing laws would help build a better case for the ineffective nature of them. Mandatory sentencing laws in effect have resulted in a poor outcome for both the nation at large because of the costs of imprisonment, for the family, and for the individual. Ashley’s suggestions to include the family aspect and the re-entering society aspect would help to support how the war on drugs has had unintended and unfortunate consequences. There are times when new fathers face a long sentence which results in the child not growing up with a father. I can imagine that those who come out of long sentences may find themselves detached from their family networks and from society at large.
DeleteThe Lockdown by Michelle Alexander
ReplyDeleteThe author’s main argument is that the War on Drugs has resulted in a system of mass incarceration that primarily targets people of color. Alexander supports this claim by referring to the dramatic increase in incarceration rates that are attributed to drug offenses. Alexander explains this increase by describing the measures that the Court has approved to make it easier to conduct random searches. Alexander also goes into how the system itself perpetuates the massive incarceration rates. Within most communities, illegal drug use was initially not a big concern, however, the federal government incentivized making drug-law enforcement a priority through grants. Furthermore, mandatory sentencing laws made it exceptionally difficult for those convicted to reintegrate into society resulting in a higher chance that they would make it back to prison. This argument is important because it highlights how our current system is not effective.
If the author were to re-write the article, I would like to read an exploration of how other countries deal with controlled substances. It would be interesting to see if there are other countries that attribute as much resources as the US towards drug-law enforcement and if their citizens hold similar or different views towards these drugs. I would also be interested in knowing if there are countries that have a greater emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation for drug addiction cases. If those do exists I would like to know their success rate and the cost it takes to run those programs. This may provide insight on alternatives that the US can consider implementing to improve their criminal justice system.
I completely agree with all the points you brought up. I definitely agree that Alexander’s main point is that the War on Drugs has resulted in mass incarcerations for particularly those of color. Additionally, I agree that this is due to court rulings that allow more random searches for drugs. It is also due to the government incentivizing law enforcement to make drugs a priority where there previously was not a concern, like you mentioned. Also, I completely agree that laws and sentencing practices make it very difficult for individuals to successfully stay out of prison. I also really like your idea to add how other countries control drug use and how that might differ from what the US is doing.
Delete"The Lockdown" by Michelle Alexander
ReplyDeleteIn this article from Michelle Alexander, I think her main point is that the War on Drugs has resulted in mass incarcerations and unreasonable searches, particularly in the colored community. She notes that “convictions for drug offenses are the single most important cause of the explosion in incarceration rates in the US". In addition, many of the people being arrested are for low level drugs, such as marijuana, and for drug possessions more so than drug sales. Additionally, nowadays the Fourth Amendment does not hold up for search and seizures-cops do not have to have probable reason to search an individual, rather simply a hunch is usually enough. Also people unknowingly give consent to officers to search them when the cops are shouting at them. During the Reagan administration they created Operation Pipeline in 1984 which taught officers how to use and lengthen ordinary traffic stops to look for drugs, and people can be stopped for any number of regular reasons and be searched for drugs. In addition, law enforcement was given money to wage the war on drugs when they originally did not want to, as well as they get to keep money and assets they seize from individuals during drug raids. Lastly, most individuals caught during drug searches get unnecessarily long sentences compared to violent crimes, and often get life imprisonment or spend their life going in and out of prison.
If the author was to rewrite this article I think she should include some personal perspectives. For example, Alexander could include interviews from multiple individuals who were arrested for drug charges and ask how their experience was with law enforcement. She could also interview people who were searched and not found with drugs, and individuals who were searched and found with drugs. She could then analyze how their experiences differ. In addition, she could interview law enforcement personal from different areas around the nation, and compare those who wanted to wage the war on drugs and those who did not. Alexander could also compare law enforcement in more violent areas with law enforcement in less violent areas.