Exam 9: Racism and the Criminal Justice System

Incarceration rates have been decreasing among women in recent decades.

Following emancipation, the number of Black convicts increased so much that a convict-lease system was born, whereby convicts could be leased to the highest bidder to work as slaves.

What could explain why, in Seattle, Blacks represent nearly two-thirds of all those arrested for drugs even though the majority of those who sell and use drugs in Seattle are White?

Describe two ways in which an intersectional analysis reveals how the effects of mass incarceration vary by people's social location.

In the United States, what is the typical mandatory minimum sentence in federal court for a first-time drug offense?

Incarceration is just one of many factors that influence crime rates, and while incarcerating repeat violent offenders takes them off the streets, incarcerating nonviolent offenders has a minimal effect on crime rates. What conclusions can we then draw about the effectiveness of incarceration on reducing overall crime rates?

Discuss two parallels between Jim Crow segregation and mass incarceration practices.

Parental imprisonment deepens racial inequality insofar as Native American children are disproportionately the victims.

What was the primary focus of major laws passed in the 1980s, including the 1984 Crime Control Act, Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, and Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988?

In the United States, incarceration rates have ________ as crime rates have _________.

Explain how mass incarceration in the United States reflects a divergence from the attitude toward imprisonment in the mid-twentieth century.

Besides the incarceration of offenders, what other purpose do prisons serve?

Which event has led to some reductions in incarceration?

Blacks and Latinxs are more likely to use and sell drugs, therefore, they are incarcerated at higher rates than Whites.

When taking into account the severity of the charge, Blacks receive ________ prison sentences when compared to Whites and receive the death penalty _________ than Whites.

Crime rates have been steadily increasing for decades, explaining the increase in incarcerations.

At the time Reagan prioritized the "War on Drugs," crack cocaine was a major epidemic and viewed as the most important problem facing the nation.

John's father was the primary breadwinner in his family. When John's father was incarcerated, his family could no longer afford the rent in their neighborhood and now live in a poorer neighborhood with worse quality schools. This is an example of:

How is the U.S. prison system distinct from that of similar countries?

Formerly incarcerated people with felony records can be denied which of the following?