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¶ … Racial Disparities in Incarceration
There is an abundance of salient information related to prisons and the correctional system in the United States dispensed throughout Mauer's article, "Addressing racial disparities in incarceration." The article was published in 2011, which makes it still relevant and informative for contemporary society. As the title of this work of literature suggests, it widely discusses various aspects of the prison system pertaining to racial disparities. Despite this title, it is noteworthy that the bulk of the author's research is concentrated on those disparities as related to Caucasians, African-Americans and Latinos, with little more than a note about other races including Asians and Native Americans (both of which the author claims there is a paucity of relevant data for) (Mauer, 2011, p. 88S). Additionally, it is important to realize that the racial disparity in various facets of incarceration reflects a relative scarcity of Caucasians and an abundance of African-Americans and Latinos -- despite the fact that there are substantially more Caucasians in this country than either one of the other two racial groups.
One of the boons of this document is the clear way in which the author has chosen to structure it. The paper is roughly partitioned into four distinct segments: the impact of incarceration trends on people of color, the role the criminal justice system plays in affecting racial disparities,...
This structure enables the author to progress to increasingly more profound levels of racial disparity insight, by beginning with the fairly common knowledge that approximately 33% of African-American males will be incarcerated in their lives despite the fact that this racial group comprises only 12% of the population (Mauer, 2011, p. 89 S), to the overall effects of these trends on the population at large.
One of the testaments to the research conducted by the author for this document is the fact that there are several facets of racial disparity in which it is difficult to obtain data. There are both pros and cons of this fact. On the positive side, these findings indicate that the author is researching some of the more tenuous issues related to racial disparities in corrections, which exist in that ambiguous gray area in which there is no existent data. An excellent example of this fact is found in the section in which he is examining aspects of the decision-making process for criminal justice. He indicates that it is difficult to find any data pertaining to racial bias in the prosecution phase of the criminal justice system, because many of these decisions (including most eminently the far-too frequent incidence of plea bargaining) "take place…
References
Mauer, M. (2011). Addressing racial disparities in incarceration. The Prison Journal Supplement to 91(3), 87S-101S.
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