Why Do Black Men Love Going To Jail?

Real Talk With Amiri

40 Reasons Why Our Jails Are Full of Black and Poor People

We are far and away the world leader in putting our own people in jail. Most of the people inside are poor and Black. Here are 40 reasons why.
40 Reasons Why Our Jails Are Full of Black and Poor People | HuffPost Latest News
The US prison system is the main source of punishment and rehabilitation for criminal offenses. The system incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. Currently, there are over 2 million people in prisons, jails, and detention centers. This number represents 25% of all inmates in the world even though the US population makes up only 5% of the global population. A common opinion is that this system is broken and in need of repair. The downturn began in the early ’70s when President Nixon called for a “war on drugs”, measures in this war were to include drastic prison sentences for drug-related crimes. Today, the prisons are overcrowded and understaffed which has opened the way for private, for-profit centers. US Prison Population By Race - WorldAtlas

Incarceration Rates By Group

The problems with the prison system only continue when one looks at the obvious racial and gender disparities. For example, while black inmates make up nearly 40% of the prison population, they only make up 13.40% of the total US population. Native Americans represent 2.30% of the incarcerated population and only 1.30% of the population. 58.70% of the prison population is white, which includes Hispanic Americans.
Are there more black men in prison than in college in the United States?

It's an oft-repeated claim that there are more black men in prison in the US than in college. It's a good statistic that apparently gets to the heart of the problem of inequality in the US, but is it having a negative effect on young black men? And, more importantly, is it true?

In 2007, before he became a presidential candidate, Barack Obama took to the stage to address The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

"I know what you know," he said. "Despite all the progress that has been made, we still have more work to do. We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend universities and colleges across America."

The statement was greeted with cheering and applause. It was a rallying cry for the activists in the room to continue their fight against inequality.

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