The U.S. criminal justice system is known for its high incarceration rates. Out of the 6.8 million incarcerated Americans, African Americans make up 34% or 2.3 million of that group, despite demographics showing that those who identify as Black make only make up 19% of the national population (NAACP, n.d.). Furthermore, there are indicators by experts and civil rights advocates that African American adults are 5.9 more likely to be incarcerated compared to their white counterparts (Report to the United Nations, n.d.). It is representative of inequality and discrimination in criminal justice institutions. Taking into account criminological theories, why is there an overrepresentation of African Americans in crime statistics in the U.S.? The reason for this topic selection is because it represents a key issue for U.S. society currently. In the context of last year’s BLM movements and general discussions about race, there remains one of the most prominent but controversial topics regarding minority incarceration. I am interested in examining the topic closely to understand the realities of the situation and its applications to criminological theory.
An article by Simons and Burt (2011) examines the connection between social factors and individual offending. They argue that negative conditions within families, neighborhoods, and friend groups eventually cause deviance as these support social schemas which generate hostility towards people. Furthermore, it creates a cynical perspective of what is right and wrong and a need for instant gratification. The authors take the basis of Aker’s social learning theory and modify their research to focus on the implicit patterns of interaction occurring in a person’s social surroundings, suggesting a common set of values that detrimental social circles can promote crime. This is directly related to the topic of choice as it may serve as an explanation for the overrepresentation of African Americans in crime. Due to the socioeconomic divides in the U.S. and discrimination, African American families and communities are statistically and anecdotally poorer and more likely to end up in poverty. As a result of poverty, which leads individuals to desperate behaviors ranging from crime to drug use, a negative environment is formed, which can further instigate crime levels. It becomes a vicious circle of poverty-crime relationships.
References
NAACP. (n.d.). Criminal justice fact sheet. Web.
Simons, R. L., & Burt, C. H. (2011). Learning to be bad: Adverse social conditions, social schemas, and crime.Criminology; An Interdisciplinary Journal, 49(2), 553–598. Web.
Report to the United Nations on racial disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system. (2018). Sentencing Project. Web.