African-American Males

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the correlation between affective disorders, substance abuse and involvement in the criminal justice system among African-American males. The paper discusses the incidence of incarceration, substance abuse and affective disorders individually and then it discusses patterns between the three issues.

Table of Contents:
High Incarceration Rates Among African Males
High Incidence Untreated Affective Disorders Depression/Anxiety
Mandated Sentences Equal Tougher Sentences on AM Males
Perception of Traumatic Events in Urban African Males
Part II - Drug Abuse and Crime Activity

From the Paper:

"Most of these studies suggest that left untreated, affective disorders including those among African Americans worsen with time, and that higher rates of recidivism often result particularly when offenders are released and still must face various psychological stressors and disorders including depression or anxiety (Spencer, 1999). Given this information it seems logical that rehabilitation measures be adopted that help address psychological instability among prison populations. As yet however, there are no uniform regulations or laws that dictate or mandate rehabilitation for African Americans or other populations at risk for higher rates of affective disorders in prison. This suggests that these disorders will likely continue in the future."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cohen, L. & Swift, S. (1993). A public health approach to the violence epidemic in the United States." Environment and Urbanization, 5(1): 50.
• Cubbin, C., Pickle, L.W. & Fingerhut, L. (2000). Social context and patterns of homicide among U.S. Black and White males." American Journal of Public Health, 90(1): 579.
• Cunningham, M., Dupree, D., Harpalani, V., Munoz-Miller, M. & Spencer, M.B. (2003). "Vulnerability to violence: A contextually sensitive, developmental perspective on African American adolescents." Journal of Social Issues, 59(1): 33.
• DuRant, R.H., Cadenhead, C., Pdnergrast, R.A., Slavens, G., & Linder, C.W. (1994). "Factors associated with the use of violence among urban Black adolescents." American Journal of Public Health, 84(1): 612-17.
• Feld, B.C. & Podkopacz, M.R. (2001). "The back door to prison: Waiver reform, blended sentencing and the law of unintended consequences." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 91(4): 997.

More papers on African-American Males:

• Research Paper # 92589 : "Retention of African-American Males in Universities"
• Research Paper # 61218 : "African-American Males"
• Essay # 27238 : "African American Males in Early Childhood Education"

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