I've been thinking about it, and I think that this election cycle I am going to be a one issue voter. I'm not going to agree with anyone 100%, and most campaign promises are just a lot of hot air and nothing can be done on the issues anyway. But I do think that our elected officials could do much, MUCH more about mass incarceration, and I think that the movement is growing to the point that some action steps will be taken in the next few years.
So, the biggest threat to families in American today-- I don't think it is gay marriage, I don't think that it is abortion, or any other hot button issues. The biggest threat, in my opinion, is mass incarceration, especially of young African American men (one in 9 between the ages of 18-35). Hear me out-- Those are fathers away from their families, unable to support them or create strong relationships. When they do come back, their families have moved on without them, often times ashamed of the stigma brought on them. Or if they aren't, the kids grow up thinking that it is just a part of life for a man to go away to jail or prison, continuing this cycle. Those men not only lose out on lost wages while in prison, but also can be legally discriminated against due to their criminal record, making in near impossible to find a decent job. In many poor, predominantly African American communities, the relationship between the police and the community is poor. Kids grow up getting stopped and frisked for no reason, their parents carted away to jail, their houses torn apart for a drug bust, and the police doing nothing about stopping the violence. Doesn't make people really want to grow up to follow the law when you're viewed by the law as a criminal anyway.
It's not just on the individual and family level though, where mass incarceration takes its tole on families and communities. The government spends more money on prisons than on schools. Imagine what could happen if that money could go towards school, community programs, parenting programs, instead of prisons? In addition, the majority of the inmates are there for non-violent drug offenses. i am not excusing drugs but... domestic violence offenders, who are much more dangerous to the community (in my opinion) are often let go because there is no space in the local jail due to a low-level marijuana offender there on mandatory minimum charges. That doesn't seem right.
Not very coherent, but just something i've been thinking about lately. I'm pretty sure Mitt Romney isn't going to address this. but then again, Obama has just bolstered the war on drugs, so he might not be a great candidate either.
So, the biggest threat to families in American today-- I don't think it is gay marriage, I don't think that it is abortion, or any other hot button issues. The biggest threat, in my opinion, is mass incarceration, especially of young African American men (one in 9 between the ages of 18-35). Hear me out-- Those are fathers away from their families, unable to support them or create strong relationships. When they do come back, their families have moved on without them, often times ashamed of the stigma brought on them. Or if they aren't, the kids grow up thinking that it is just a part of life for a man to go away to jail or prison, continuing this cycle. Those men not only lose out on lost wages while in prison, but also can be legally discriminated against due to their criminal record, making in near impossible to find a decent job. In many poor, predominantly African American communities, the relationship between the police and the community is poor. Kids grow up getting stopped and frisked for no reason, their parents carted away to jail, their houses torn apart for a drug bust, and the police doing nothing about stopping the violence. Doesn't make people really want to grow up to follow the law when you're viewed by the law as a criminal anyway.
It's not just on the individual and family level though, where mass incarceration takes its tole on families and communities. The government spends more money on prisons than on schools. Imagine what could happen if that money could go towards school, community programs, parenting programs, instead of prisons? In addition, the majority of the inmates are there for non-violent drug offenses. i am not excusing drugs but... domestic violence offenders, who are much more dangerous to the community (in my opinion) are often let go because there is no space in the local jail due to a low-level marijuana offender there on mandatory minimum charges. That doesn't seem right.
Not very coherent, but just something i've been thinking about lately. I'm pretty sure Mitt Romney isn't going to address this. but then again, Obama has just bolstered the war on drugs, so he might not be a great candidate either.
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