Mass Incarceration and Black Men in Philadelphia Ghettos

Introduction: Incarceration and Racial Disparity

Alice Goffman's 2009 article "On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto" addresses the disproportionate incarceration of minorities — most prominently Black males — and its effects on their communities. The article opens with a striking claim: "The number of people incarcerated in the United States has grown seven times over the past 40 years, and this growth has been concentrated among black men with little education" (Goffman, 2009, p. 339). Goffman draws a direct correlation between lack of education and incarceration for Black males, noting that those with a high school diploma are 30% more likely to be incarcerated, with the odds jumping to 60% for those who did not finish high school. The statistics also highlight the situation of Black children, noting that 25% of Black children born in 1990 had fathers in prison.

News stories and articles over the years — especially coverage surrounding the more recent Black Lives Matter movement — have documented the rise in incarceration and the targeted arrests of Black men by law enforcement. Goffman's article, written seven or eight years before that movement took root, demonstrates that the problem of Black men being targeted by law enforcement is real and longstanding. Whether these arrests are motivated by racial prejudice or economic disparity, Black men are clearly targeted more than any other group, suggesting that the government has in some way contributed to preventing upward mobility for Black citizens.

Policing in Poor Urban Communities

Goffman's article documents how police presence and supervision have increased dramatically in poor urban communities. Decades prior, there were few if any police in and around those neighborhoods. Today, residents experience police helicopters, searches, foot chases, and multiple arrest warrants issued for minor infractions. While research suggests that a small population within poor communities is responsible for serious crimes that go to trial, most members of poor urban communities — particularly poor Black communities — had little interaction with police before the 1990s. As Goffman states, "Before the 1990's, in fact, the ghetto was frequently described as nearly abandoned by law enforcement" (Goffman, 2009, p. 340).

The contrast between this earlier era of minimal policing and the current reality is stark. One explanation for this shift is the privatization of prisons and the financial incentives that came with filling them. Once profit became a motivation for acquiring prisoners, policing in these areas intensified — resulting in a higher number of incarcerations and an increase in targeted arrests.

References

Goffman, A. (2009). On the run: Wanted men in a Philadelphia ghetto. American Sociological Review, 74(3), 339–357.