Criminal Justice System.

Everyone always wonders how successful institutions are at reforming their inmates. There is always a variety of outcomes especially for black males. In class, we learned that almost, “40% of the black male population is under the supervision of the correctional system meaning they are either in prison, jail, or on parole or probation. This statistic is extremely high in the sense that almost half of all the black males are incarcerated in the country. So does being a black poor male virtually set you up for failure?

James Woods, was a black male at the age of 18 and was thrown into jail for a drug bust. He was placed on a three-year indeterminate sentence meaning every few months they would evaluate his behavior and see if he was ready to be placed back into the real world. He got out in a year. Jail impacted James in many different ways. He said that he had a white roommate, and they were treated completely differently. James was beaten, taken advantage of, and jail had shook him and changed him forever.

James used to hustle on the street, and sell drugs but after his horrible experience he was never going back, he knew he had to change. He moved to Miami, Fl and decided to give back to the community. He runs a self-owned cleaning service where he will only charge $3 dollars per bedroom and $5 dollars for a kitchen and living room. James lives a very humble, honest and drug free life. He told his story, about being in jail and how institutionalized systems in America are corrupt, I knew I had to blog about this.

Even though, property, violent and rape crimes have decreased since the 70s, the United States still holds the highest incarceration rates in the world. That may just be because we have money, since it is extremely expensive to hold someone in jail. James was deserving of jail time, served and now is a completely changed person. Despite his mistreatment in jail, and his resentment toward “the white privilege” he managed to better himself. He told my friends stories about how 3 white men including his roommate would beat him in the courtyard at least once a week, or when he had to break up bricks, his white roommate got to serve food.

All in all, James Wood is a perfect example of how our institutionalized facilities in the United States, do provide correctional changes, yet racism is still a persisting issue. While discussing the Black Community and their relationship with drugs, there are two overlapping trends we learned about in lecture. Overall, there has been a massive increase in the number of drug arrests in the US, and blacks have constituted an increasing proportion of those arrests. James was one of many members of the black community jailed for his involvement with drugs. As a nation, we need to focus on lowering drug use, which will help decrease incarceration rates. James is a reformed man now, and the institutional system did that. It changed his life, despite some hardships, in a very significant way.

The Meaning of Marriage

Having discussed in class the impact and change of the complexity of interracial marriage, I stated to reflect on my own experience. Coming from a family who follows Judaism and holds the traditions very seriously, my family has made it very clear to me that I must marry a Jewish man. My mother tells my sister and me al the time that we should only date and take men seriously who are Jewish, in order to keep the familiar traditions going. My mom made is so apparent that once when I mentioned the name of an Italian boy I just met, my mother said, "sorry, but you will not date men whose last names end in a vowel" (stating a stereotype that people whose last name end in a vowel are not Jewish). I happened to be appalled by that connotation, for my mother does not have an open mind to the idea that maybe there are more important arts to a person and a relationship than only religion. However, with my mom’s persistence I am living my life knowing I have to marry someone based on guidelines.

I found this incidence with my mom expressing her concern about family heritage to be very interesting after the lecture on interracial marriage. It made me think, is my mothers idea that different religions shall not mix as bad as saying that people of different races should not mix? I happen to think not, for I understand my mother is not saying that people of different religions are subordinate, she just wants me to carry on our family heritage and beliefs.

Interracial marriage is thus a separate issue, with different underlying meanings behind choosing to or not to marry someone of a different race. Interracial marriages have been increasing consistently from the 1970's to present- day. This is a very big step in the history of the world, where there was once a time that marrying someone of a different race was illegal. Loving Vs. Virginia marks a huge social change, and I believe times today confirm that racial barriers are weakening. I happen to know several couples who are interracially married, and are raising their children to be comfortable with their skin color and family history. I believe Hollywood has signified a change in times, with the many celebrities who are now interracially married. With celebrities such as Heidi Klum and Seal, these role models make interracial marriage seem "okay" and "socially acceptable" to the world. I believe that the more interracial marriages become prevalent, the more people's attitudes toward different races will change for the better.

Racism in America

The other day, I watched a youtube video, in which a team of people were trying to prove racist thoughts still present in society. Within the video, two cars were parked in a public park. One car contained 3 white teenage boys completely destroying a car with spray paint while jumping on the roof of the car as well. The experiment was to see if anyone would call the cops on the three boys. It was amazing to see the reactions people had. As people walked by the vandalized car, almost not bystanders said a word. In fact, one older woman joked about how they hoped it was there car and that they wouldn't do that to hers. The boys just continued to laugh and destroy the car. After hours of vandalization, only one passerby decided to approach the boys and threaten to call the police. However, while all of this was going on.. a second car of three black teenage boys were in the same lot, all sleeping in the car. While the white boys were vandalizing what could have been any ones car, no calls to the police were made, were as two calls were made to report suspicious behavior of boys sleeping within a car.

After a couple of hours, the positions were then reversed, and three black boys began to vandalize a car, while three white boys slept in an adjacent car in that same park. Within minutes, three calls were made to the police by passerby's, and two other men approached the kids and told them to stop. When interviewed, those who called the police said they were just looking out for the good of the neighborhood.

This experiment greatly shocked me. It was crazy to see how people could report crime only when it was done by those who were "fit to do crime". This showed how prevalent racism still is in America. People are deterred to report crime if they believe someone of their "own kind" is being the perpetrator.

However, I don't think people realize that they are committing acts of racism. I think people think of racism and discrimination as something of the past, and don't see why it still needs to be combatted. These racist acts are fully adding to the disparities in society as large institutions, such as the criminal justice system, continue to unconsciously or consciously target people of color. I think by having people first realize that they are committing acts of racism, it can really bring about change. People inherently see racism and discrimination as bad, so by pointing out these actions, maybe it can enlighten people to do something about the issue. Maybe asking people if they would be scared to drive in a white neighborhood versus as a black one, and then ask why they feel this way. Or asking if people would mind if blacks or minority groups moved into their neighborhood, how they would react. Maybe, once people see that racism still exists, they will be more willing to try and combat it.

Health Care

Health care access has always been a controversial subject. The United States government has never given citizens the right to free health care. However, around the world developed countries are beginning to supply health care to their citizens and it is greatly paying off for each country. It now seems the United States is moving in that direction; especially now that President Obama passed the health care reform. This new measure will raise taxes based on earned wages and provide more health care for poor citizens. Now the question is, how does the United States decide whom to give medical attention to?

The unusual thing about the United States health care system is that it reports health status based on race as opposed to social class difference. And race differentials are half that of socioeconomic status differentials. In my opinion, that is not the right method to use because it does not account for socioeconomic status. By definition, socioeconomic status is a measure of an individual’s or family’s relative economic and social ranking based on income, education, social standing, and occupation. According to the course book, the socioeconomic differences between racial groups are the reason for the patterns of racial disparities in health status. Therefore, the United States should look to aid minorities first, because they are the ones that need health care most according to statistics based on health status. Also, whites have the lowest rates of mortality. I think much of the health care inequality has to do with the fact that whites earn higher wages and income and also most importantly more assets. In addition, whites are not suspect to racism in comparison to minorities, especially blacks.

First and foremost, blacks have a declining economic status, which results in worsening health status than whites and other minorities, starting during the slavery era. Thus, blacks have been experiencing a widening racial gap in life expectancy caused by many factors. For one, blacks have a history of receiving more illnesses. These illnesses are a consequence living in highly concentrated city neighborhoods where a lot of stress accumulates from poor living conditions. Moreover, the migration to the north after the emancipation changed their lifestyle greatly. It was a shift from church and family life to a more taboo style of tobacco and alcohol. Gradually over time racial equality has grown, however, wealth and income has not. Consequently, on every level of socioeconomic status, blacks have a worse health status than whites. As time has gone on, wealth and health have improved for all citizens, but blacks still do not share equal health care as whites.

All in all, the United States is progressing toward national health care and the new enacted health care reform is a strong indication of things to come. The reason for health inequality seems to be historical and also the method that the US uses to report health care. Over time, the manner should change and progress with the changing state of the US population. Once the US majority are minorities, things must be different. Otherwise many people will be dying and a strong line will be made between whites and nonwhites. Hopefully, in the near future minorities receive equal attention and free health care will revolution the country and produce revenue.

Running Away

An event that I witnessed today truly appalled me, and I find it very worthy of writing about. While walking around, I saw a black man running through the streets of the city. Stopped at a crosswalk, I overheard a white couple saying, "I wonder when the cops will find him." They clearly were insinuating that they believed this man to be a criminal, running away from a robbery or some crime. I was surprised by this reaction, for I saw the man running and just thought he was going for a run on a nice day in the city. This reaction reminded me of some lessons learned in sociology class. The fact that US blacks in prison have the highest rate then US whites in prison no longer surprises me. I believe if this couple had seen a white male running around, they would not question the crime the man has committed, instead they would think he was just enjoying a run. People are so quick to judge another race and associate negative connotations. With nearly 40% of the black population under supervision of the correctional system, and 32% black men expected to spend time in prison in their lifetime, I can see where people's judgments come from. People are quick to assume, if you are black, you are a criminal. But this is terrible. Especially when white collar crime is extremely costly and prevalent. The American business community lost $50 billion in 1980 to white collar crime! Yet people don't assume, if you are white, you are a criminal?

I believe that the racial disparities in the criminal justice system are not only corrupt but also demote progress toward lessening racism and promoting unity. I find that the only solution to this problem is people being honest, and treating everyone equal. There is no reason that one person should be charged of a crime over another due to one's color. Similarly, there is no reason celebrities should get off easier than regular people for the same crime. It has been seen in the media time and time again that celebrities have been pulled over for DUI's and possession of marijuana in their car. However, many times these celebrities are given a warning and get away free of charge. This would never happen for a regular citizen. Martha Stewart stole money, and she was given special treatment in prison; Brittney Spears drove the wrong way while intoxicated on a highway, only sentenced to house arrest. These crimes would never deem the punishment celebrities receive to the average person. Like with the issue of whites and black being charged, the criminal justice system must be improved. It must be as unbiased as possible. Police and witnesses must participate with the mindset that the one who commits the crime is guilty, with no external or physical attributes getting in the way. This sounds difficult when we live in a society of such judgment, hostility, and selfishness, but in order to promote a fair criminal justice system, racism cannot be getting in the way

Being on a 7:00am Sunday morning flight back to school means one thing: sleep on the plane. When I got to my seat I put in my headphones and started to drift into dreamland, until a black man looking like he was in his teens bumped me with his bag. He apologized and him and his mother sat next to me. Behind me, was sitting a mother, daughter, and father from Canton, Ohio. I have never seen more social or happy people in my life. The black mother and son sitting next to me started talking about the college visit that they just went on. The black boy, named Jared was 17, a junior in high school from a small town in Ohio and was looking to play basketball at a college in Florida. Immediately when Jared started talking about his college visit, the people sitting behind us jumped in saying that their daughter Melanie, was also looking to play college softball.

Once this all unraveled I realized that I had to take out my iPod and listen because this completely relates to what we were learning about first hand in class about racial inequalities and the college process. Melanie went to a high school in Canton, Ohio where the grade size was approximately 400 a person and they received a decent amount of college information. The school provided classes for SAT prep. Jared on the other hand, was in a graduating class of around 1,200 with little college help and no one on one attention. Comparing Melanie and Jared to myself, I went to a high school where my graduating class was around 200 people. I had private SAT tutors, and a college and career center at school where different colleges from all over the country would come and give a brief summary of what their school is all about. Here, sitting in two rows on an airplane at 7am were 3 different students with three different backgrounds and three very different college opportunities.

Being that I just learned and took a test on all of the inequalities with the college admissions process, I asked Jared to explain his story. Jared said that his only shot in going to a good college was through playing basketball. He was saying how a few division 3 schools were recruiting him. After saying how he was being recruited he explained that as passionate as he is about basketball, he likes it as an extra curricular activity and isn’t sure that he wants to devote all his time to playing in college. His father and mother both didn’t go to college so he feels the pressure to go. He says that basketball is his ticket in and if not he will, “never leave his small town.”

Is this fair? That Jared needs to make a huge sacrifice and commitment to a college sport just to get into college. This situation supports that racial inequalities do stem from money matters and socioeconomic factors. He said that he did very poorly on the SATs and is GPA is around average. Melanie said that the schools she went too, she was in SAT and GPA range for both and that the softball will give her an extra advantage when applying. Melanie and Jared come from the same state, and their education is so different. Jared’s school had outdated textbooks, and Melanie’s had top of the line technology. Jared is making a huge commitment to play college ball, while Melanie actually wants to play softball and can probably get into the colleges with her boards and GPA alone. I did encourage Jared that colleges are starting to take more under qualified males due to less males applying to college creating a widening gender gap. He laughed, and I said I was just giving him the facts. I mean I doubt the gender gap would play that large of a roll but it could help.

Using the Tools we Have

Inequality is the common link to problems between different classes, ethnicities, and races. The problem is inequalities are not produced from one thing therefore, it is not so easily solvable because it is so deeply ingrained in our society. While talking about inequalities we learned about the cultural structure argument. This argument is supported by the idea of culture as a toolkit, which means that the resources you are presented with and the available strategies to you affect how you live your life and the inequalities that you experience. However, even when you are handed the tools for success I believe there are other obstacles that become very difficult to overcome.

First of all no matter how many resources are put in front of you, if you don’t have the motivation to be successful whether that be in school, or in the work world you will not go far. You have to want something to be able to be successful. My home city, New Rochelle, NY is a good example of how having a great tool kit may not change your path in life. New Rochelle High School is 52% minorities and 48% Caucasian, and the houses in the city range from millions to the projects. The school is the definition of diverse. The school is equipped to work with all types of students and genuinely wants every student to succeed. Although the school educates 3,2000 students they try and make sure no one falls through the cracks and never wants to be considered a school who only cares about its AP students. There are two middle schools in New Rochelle and even though the majority of the students who attend the middle school on the south end are of minority decent and come from families with low SES they are just as prepared for high school as the students from the other middle school. So, if the theory of the tool kit is true why doesn’t every student graduate and utilize all the resources that are offered to them?

I believe that there are other things that get in the way of using these resources. For example, one of my brother’s good friend Franco, found it very difficult growing up in one of the less affluent neighborhood in New Rochelle because although he wanted to work hard and do well in school the other kids in his neighborhood made fun of him for this. When looking back on this situation I thought about the culture of poverty argument and maybe that this boy’s friends had different values. However, as there isn’t much evidence to this theory I think there are other causes to their attitudes. Teenagers sometimes think they are being stereotyped and then they fulfill it because they think that is what is expected of them. Franco was constantly made fun of for hanging out with rich white kids and being in honors classes. When I got to high school I observed a similar phenomenon. The students that came from lower SES backgrounds and worked hard in school usually separated from their friends in their neighborhood and became friends with kids in their classes because they had similar goals and interests. When you are a teenager having the approval of your peers is extremely important and every year there are kids in my high school who break away from their comfort zone because they aren’t willing to give up the opportunities they are being offered. I have a theory that if it were more socially expectable to be doing your homework after school instead of hanging out on the street there would be more students using the resources my high school offers.

Having a well-equipped tool kit definitely makes life easier, but you also have to be willing to use the tools you are given. I find it very frustrating that there are people who don’t use the resources that they are given because there are so many people who have no tools in their kits. For example Jonathan Kozol in his articles exemplifies the many students that will never receive the opportunities the students in my high school have. And what makes it even more saddening is that they don’t understand why they don’t have the same things as the schools only a few miles away and our country isn’t even willing to give them a chance to see what they could if they had the same resources.