Black Youth Incarceration Essay

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I: Abstract
Young Black youth are being stripped from the school system and shipped off to prison at a higher rate than any other race today in America. The school-to-prison pipeline is endangering the future of children everyday by removing them from their school environments and into the Criminal Justice System As of 2012, Black youth made up about 16% percent of the population in the United States, but made up over 70% of youth involved in school related arrests and made up nearly 40% of the youth currently incarcerated. The rate at which Black girls are being incarcerated is rising and are less likely to have their cases dismissed.
II: Introduction
This paper will explore the disproportionate rate of black youth currently incarcerated …show more content…

Although African American Americans account for only about 16% of the total number of adolescents in the United States, they represent over 70% of the youth who are involved in school-related arrests and make up nearly 40% of the total youth currently imprisoned.” (Brinkley-Rubinstein, pg. 25) This study aimed to see how older youth and younger youth perceived race and incarceration differently. The goal was to see just how much racial attitudes have contributed to the idea of crime and incarceration in the minds of youth. The racial statistics and stereotypes exist and play a part in the mental psyche of youth. Studies have shown that Black youth are more likely to be sentenced to adult jails in comparison to white youth. That fact alone is scary and shows young black youth that their lives are looked at differently and their actions will be judged and treated more severely simply because of their race, and this is not the only differential treatment that black youth face simply because of their race. Discrepancies in penalties, longer sentences, and even type of facility they are placed in are all different experiences that black youth are almost guaranteed to