Pubdate: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 Source: State, The (SC) Copyright: 2003 The State Contact: http://www.thestate.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/426 Author: Warren Bolton, Associate Editor Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/racial.htm (Racial Issues) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) FAR TOO MANY BLACK MEN ARE SITTING IN OUR NATION'S AND STATE'S PRISONS AS I WALKED through a cell block watching prison guards conduct a shakedown at McCormick Correctional Institution back in March, I heard my name over the din of yells from inmates, beds being dragged from walls and other noises. "Bolton!" the voice called over and over. As I continued to walk, I heard a rapid thud, thud, thud, on the door of a cell I was about to pass. Through the small Plexiglas opening, I could just make out who it was. It was a friend from my old neighborhood. "Bolton, I want to talk to you." While I looked at him, I didn't speak or go to his cell. I couldn't. I had promised prison officials I would not talk with inmates. "I want to talk to you, man!" I wanted to talk to him. I had not seem him around in years. Now I knew why. "I'll write you, man," he said as I walked away. I no longer have to wonder where that young man is. But I wonder about so many others. I often hear people talk about old classmates, wondering where they are. Invariably, someone says, "He's in prison." When young black women complain they can't find that good single man they're seeking, at some point, someone will say, "I know where they are; they're in prison." Of course, most black men aren't in prison. There are a lot of black men who are good mates, good fathers, good role models, good businessmen. However, there is an alarming number of black men, young black men particularly, who are behind bars. So many that a reasonable person who looks at the racial makeup of our country and state and the makeup of our prisons would have to conclude that something is seriously wrong. All of us, regardless of our race or ethnicity, ought to wonder why our criminal justice system is such that half of all inmates in our nation's jails and prisons come from a race of people that makes up only 12 percent of the population. Nationally, one in eight black men in their 20s and 30s are behind bars, compared with one in 63 white men that age; one in 23 Hispanics that age are locked up. The chance of a black man going to prison in his lifetime are one in three. Last year, the United States became the world's No. 1 jailer, housing more than 2 million inmates in its prisons and jails. Nearly 900,000 of those were black men. Of the 23,000 inmates in South Carolina's prisons, nearly 15,000 of them are black men. Some say so many black men wouldn't be in prison if they didn't commit so many crimes. We know it's not that simple. Without a doubt, there are a high number of African-Americans who commit crimes. I'm not about to make excuses for people who simply break the law. I've got problems with black people or any people who steal, maim or kill. I detest black-on-black crime, which is ridiculously high; I equally detest crimes against white people and other races and crime committed by white people and other races. Still, we can't overlook the disparity that exists when it comes to the number of black men in prisons as opposed to others. There are many factors that drive people to commit crime. Certainly, the poor are more apt to commit crime in an effort to make ends meet. Unfortunately, being black and poor in America often come as a package. Many criminals also are often poorly educated -- something South Carolina unfortunately is well known for when it comes to many of its poor and black children, particularly in rural areas. Also, there is still prejudice in this country, and in our criminal justice system. There are some troublesome inconsistencies in how black people are convicted and sentenced versus how white people are treated. Black people are more likely to be stopped or detained by police, and black communities are more likely to be selected by police for concentration on criminal activity. The drive in the 1990s to pass more punitive laws to lock up more people longer didn't help things any. That lock 'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key attitude overburdened our prison systems and strained race relations. The way we are warehousing inmates, mostly black men, is shameful. We must remedy this problem, beginning with providing better education, jobs and preventive programs. We must also reduce the numbers going into our prisons. About half of South Carolina's inmates are nonviolent. Many should be in treatment programs, not in prison. Fortunately, Corrections Director Jon Ozmint is working with legislators to develop a proposal that would seek to use alternative sentencing methods for nonviolent criminals currently crowding his prisons. Part of the idea would be to promote rehabilitation. Members of the S.C. Black Caucus, such as Rep. Joe Neal, have grave concerns about the numbers of black men in our prisons. Rep. Neal has said he wants to see legislation that would call for mandatory drug treatment for non-violent drug offenders to help decrease the number of young black men in prison. The intent is not to set criminals free. It is to address a very real problem in our criminal justice system. Think about it: In a state where 30 percent of the people are black, 68 percent of those in our prisons are black men. Those numbers don't add up. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk