Comments on: Prisons “Overwhelmingly Filled With People of Color”: Just or Unjust?

By: Gotfried from Gdansk

Gotfried from Gdansk — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:50:00 +0000

Kesh,
Divorce is one issue but what percentage of people in prison are the offspring of two people who were never married in the first place. I would say that it is quite high. When African American men are required to become responsible for their offspring, maybe something will change.

By: Kesh

Kesh — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 10:48:00 +0000

People of colour have historically been discriminated against and so make up more of the poor worldwide. Thankfully this is changing but more work needs to be done.
Ethnic minorities and white people need to be treated equally in the job market and must all recieve education to help all propser

By: Kesh

Kesh — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 10:46:00 +0000

Christians should set good examples by not divorcing for a start!
Divorce rates for Christians are just as bad as non believers.

By: Lego Librarian

Lego Librarian — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:10:00 +0000

There is no such crime gene. Which suggests, at least one answer must be no. Which suggests the system is unjust.

By: rhinomelon

rhinomelon — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:48:00 +0000

As Pastor Brooks correctly stated, the causes of the racial makeup of the justice system are multifaceted and complex (broken families, jobless communities, nonsensical/biased drug laws and sentencing policies, etc.). There is certainly much that can be done in all these areas, although how much can be done by government fiat is debatable.

All this being said, the notion that a perfectly just incarceration system would mirror the racial diversity of the society as a whole is demonstrably false. Even setting drug laws aside, young black males commit a far higher percentage of crimes in this country than their percentage of the overall population. Even if our laws were completely color-blind and bias-free, the prison population would still be more minority-heavy than the surrounding society. This was a failing in Michelle Alexander’s book.

Of course, taking a wider view of justice, the reasons and causes behind this disparity in crime are not rooted in biology or genetics, but in the realms of poverty and broken families. Government policy can only go so far in ameliorating these factors. Cultural changes and better individual decision-making must go hand-in-hand with targeted government intervention and legal reform.

By: Jack Heller

Jack Heller — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:23:00 +0000

Great article. I’d also recommend a look at a letter from death row inmate Ray Jasper, who is schedule to be executed on March 19. It’s out on the web.

By: wjgreen314

wjgreen314 — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 17:35:00 +0000

Yes. Excellent observation. What evidence, if any, have we found within the human genome to suggest there is a “crime gene?” I’m unaware of one. Do you have a citation or URL you can provide? Thanks in advance, if so.

By: Lego Librarian

Lego Librarian — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 17:29:00 +0000

Is this not also a litmus test? 1) is there something about skin color that makes a person genetically more likely to commit a crime? (2) Is the skin color of the prison population disproportionate to the skin color of the populace?
If both answers are yes, then it’s just. If one answer is no, then something is unjust—somewhere there is a systemic failure. We just have to figure out where and how to fix it. One place might be the juvenile justice system. (Another might be families, another schools: they’re all interrelated.) I think this may be the most overlooked civil right issue of our time.

By: Luke Adams

Luke Adams — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 13:42:00 +0000

Good article. Definitely made some good points.

By: wjgreen314

wjgreen314 — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 06:13:00 +0000

Litmus Test: 1) Did they do the crime for which they’re currently doing the time? If yes, then 2) Is the extent to which they comprise an overwhelming percentage of our prison population proportionate to the percentage of crimes they committed and were found guilty of vis-a-vis their non-color counterparts?

If Yes, then yes, it is just. If No, then it is unjust.