Youth in the Era of Mass Incarceration

The Hyper-Criminalization of Black and Latino Male

 Youth in the Era of Mass Incarceration

            The article by Victor M. Rios touches on key aspects that label Black and Latino young males as “deviant”. The term “deviant” means dissimilar from traditional standard, moving sharply from a traditional, customary, generally accepted normal, or displaying such different behavior. The key terms in this article are showing how minorities are marked by words such as: criminalization, youth, Latinos, deviance, and penalty.

            Rios suggests that Black and Latino youth are branded with “hyper-criminalized” when they come across the juvenile justice system even though most of them have committed non-violent offenses. All of these start for these young men around the age of eight.  Moreover, Rios describes, “These scholars have argued that punishment not only affect the confined individual but rather expands itself to family members and the inmate’s community.”(Page 226) which means now everyone is being punished for things that they did not do or take part in directly. Nonetheless, article suggests that mass imprisonment combined with political and economic arrangements, and culture makes an overwhelming negative impact on this young population. This population is so venerable that even when they have not done anything wrong, they are  being labeled as “at-risk” children. It is similar to saying that if you do everything by the book, you are acceptable, but if somehow you find yourself in bad circumstances, you would be marked as juvenile offender and end up as a criminal. Under the same law, something that in white community would look as an unwise act of childhood is now an act of crime in Black or Latino community.

            The article suggests that “governance” or the lack of it is the reason that this population is suffering. Overwhelming lack of jobs, education, and not being able to provide economic and social security to this most needed portion of society is the leading cause of the problems. If a young man cannot find a job because of his ethnicity, color of skin, or lack of education, he is going to end up in criminal activities and try to express his anger on his peers or bystanders. Many of these kids are bulled by their peers, ended up defending themselves by committing an act of violence, which in the end sends them to juvenile court. Most of them are so poor they cannot afford to buy essential goods that they need for school, nutrition, and clothing. They do not steal because it is enjoyable and fun, they do it because no one is there to help them, and to give them some directions to how they can make some money. In the white communities, poor children can work in school cafeterias during school hours, or in Unified School Districts summer job programs. Nonetheless, these kinds of jobs need and require having a higher GPA than other applicants.

            This article ends by saying that “dangerous moments” is facing Black and Latino youth community, and the way to find a place for these poor youth, from the governing point of view is hyper-criminalization and mass incarceration.

            This is something that I do not want to participate in or see.    

 

Q1. As a Latino youth, did you feel you had equal opportunities in your life?

Q2. Did you have any struggles as a high school student due to your race/ethnicity?

Q3. Did you see this type of discrimination taking place towards your family or friends?