Racism and African-Americans

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer points out that one has only to watch television or read a newspaper to see that crime is a daily concern for many Americans. The writer discusses that African-Americans are arrested for crimes out of all proportion to their numbers. The writer maintains that American justice may once have been poisoned by racism, but some say, the figures speak for themselves - a higher percentage of African-Americans are arrested and imprisoned, because they are responsible for the bulk of criminal acts. The writer concludes that although the African-American prison population proportionally far outreaches the prison population of any other group, little has been done to help prevent young African-Americans from continuing to follow in the footsteps of their elders.

From the Paper:

"The problem of juvenile crime is particularly acute. To a much greater extent than Whites, African American children often lack proper adult supervision. They turn instead to television and other forms of media as sources of inspiration. Desperate for role models, young African-Americans latch onto characters whom they feel represent themselves, people who look, speak, and act as they do. But what comes out of these characters' mouths? What actions do they perform? Minority youths watch as their "heroes" commit assault and murder, rape and steal, sell and use drugs. With little knowledge of appropriate behavior, the criminal counterculture seems a real and viable alternative to the world in which many minority children live. Brutality begets brutality."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fox, James Allen and Zawitz, Marianne W. (2001) Homicide Trends in the United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 10.
• Garbarino, James, PhD. (2001) Where Do We Point the Finger of Blame? Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The American Medical Association, 155, 1.
• Hooks, B. (2004). We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity. New York: Routledge.
• Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence. (1997) American Psychiatric Association. Public Information: Fact Sheet Series. American Psychiatric Association.
• Juvenile Crime Facts. (1997) Criminal Resource Manual 102. United States Department of Justice.

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