high numbers of blacks in prison...

[JBrown72073 at cs.com]

Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>I think that high black incarceration rate has more to do with the cult
>of violence that grew like a cancre in black community (with the
>encouragement of white enertainment industry and
>let's-look-the-other-way attitudes of black leaders and progressive
>activists) than with racism or economy.  A black male can gen status and
>peer recognition by being a violent "gangsta" (to the point that the
>popular expression to say that something is good is "it's gangsta")
>rather than becoming a professional.  The black role models are
>"ganstas," criminals, and cheerleaders of violence and bigotry (aka hip
>hop singers) rather than professionals, civil leaders, or intellectuals.
>With such a strong encouragement of violent behavior it is no surprise
>that black males turn to violence in greater numbers than other ethnic
>groups.  
>
>The sad fact is that the so-called black leaders and progressive
>activists are busy exonerating this violent behavior while someone else,
>namely black communities, is paying the price of it.
>
>Wojtek

You confound incarceration rates with violent crime, which accounts for at 
most 10% of sentenced prisoners.  Most violent crimes--never mind nonviolent 
ones--do not result in apprehension, much less conviction.  Incarceration is 
only loosely correlated with crime--most people who commit felonies are never 
incarcerated and most people commit some crime which could result in 
incarceration at one point or another (especially given the drug & 
prostitution laws.)  This is why adding more cops results in more 'crime.'  
Are people in prisons and jails on average more felonious than the general 
population?  Sure.  But imprisonment in this country is a lot more about 
class control than it is about crime or crime prevention.  

On black leaders speaking out against violence--that's practically the only 
political leadership I hear tackling the problems of violence, gun crimes, 
gangs, you name it.  (I don't count haymaking by politicians who run on 'more 
money for cops.')

Jenny Brown