Lecture Notes on Incarceration and Race in the United States

Introduction

The United States has 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners.
The prison population in the US grew from 300,000 in 1972 to 2.3 million today.
The US has the highest incarceration rate globally.

13th Amendment: Abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime, creating a loophole for forced labor.
Post-Civil War economy: Southern economy relied on African Americans, who post-emancipation, were criminalized for minor offenses to exploit labor.
Birth of a Nation: This film reinforced racial stereotypes and spurred the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Myth of Black Criminality: Created to justify economic exploitation and racial subjugation.

Civil rights activists were criminalized, transforming the notion of criminality into a noble symbol of resistance.
Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders redefined being arrested as an act of civil disobedience.
Increasing crime rates during the Civil Rights Movement period led to narratives that civil rights contributed to crime.

Nixon Era: Introduced "war on drugs" and "law and order" policies that targeted Black and minority communities.
Reagan Era: Intensified the war on drugs, leading to mass incarcerations especially for non-violent drug offenses.
Clinton Era: The 1994 crime bill expanded mass incarceration; mandatory minimums and "three strikes" laws.

Media portrayed black men as criminals, contributing to public fear and support for harsh policies.
The Willie Horton ad in the Bush-Dukakis campaign exemplified racial fear-mongering.

The role of ALEC in perpetuating policies that increased incarceration rates.
Privatization of prisons became a profitable industry.
Stand Your Ground laws: Supported by ALEC, highlighted in the Trayvon Martin case.

Disproportionate impact on African American communities.
Long-term consequences include loss of voting rights and economic opportunities for former prisoners.

Some bipartisan agreement on reforming criminal justice policies.
Persistent issues of racial profiling and police brutality.
The Black Lives Matter movement as a response to ongoing systemic racism and police violence.
Exploration of alternatives to traditional incarceration, such as GPS monitoring, raising concerns about surveillance.

Despite reforms, systemic issues remain due to historical racial biases.
The narrative of racial difference continues to affect African Americans, calling for renewed societal efforts to address these systemic injustices.