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Effects of discrimination in society
Effects of discrimination in society
Effects of racial discrimination on human beings
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Keith Lawrence of the Aspen Institute on Community Change and Terry Keleher from the Applied Research Center at UC Berkeley defined structural racism in the United States, as the “normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics – historical, cultural, institutional and interpersonal – that routinely advantage whites while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color”. This concept gives context to the inequalities and inequities faced by people of color. Because although the landscape of our system and the violence caused by it has changed, our societies continue to reflect one where preferential treatment, privilege, and power is afforded to white people. A similar concept is structural violence, defined by …show more content…
But, these programs are copied from the male prison system which does not take into account specific vocational training for women (SAGE). Prior to their incarceration, about 48% of women were unemployed, had minimal educational opportunities and limited career training when they were arrested (SAGE). These women also typically lack an employment history and have developed a limited amount of employment skills (SAGE). Mothers who are serving time in prison are not receiving any benefits from their sentencing and do not leave prison any more prepared to break the cycle. Most industries directed towards women are ones which perform criminal background checks, such as retail and Caregiving, which adds another barrier to their ability to secure employment (NELP). The families that these women leave behind may have already suffered serious consequences in their mother’s absence and the looming continued unemployment will further their struggles. A study that was administered in Texas, which tracked women released from prison, found that 18% of them were still in need of public assistance eight to ten months after their release (NELP). And in another study, it was determined that when formerly incarcerated women are successful at finding work, their income lowered by up to 20%; which severely impacted their ability to support their families (NELP). Arguably, the same people who line their pockets in the for profit prison system are also the ones who contribute to the system of structural violence that occurs within the United States. Currently, women are being jailed at higher rates than men and the lack of resources available to women during their incarceration are contributing factors to why women break the law and continue to end up in
Institutional racism is a facet of structural violence—but is by definition restricted to structural violence or cultural violence for which race is the catalyst and with racial bias or bigotry the sustaining element. Structural violence is differentiated from direct violence both in terms of etiology and nature. Direct violence is a result of events or the actions of individuals that kill or harm people.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Next, Institutional or systemic racism refers to the laws, policies, practices, rules and procedures that operate within organisations, societal structures and the broader community to the advantage of the dominant group or groups and to the detriment and disadvantage of other groups. Institutional racism may be intentional or unintentional. Jim Crowe is a great example of institutional racism. Jim Crow laws were the name of the racist caste system put in place to segregate African Americans, Hispanics and any ethnic minority. Theses laws made it so non whites could not integrate with minorities. These laws applied to hospitals, buses, toilets and drinking fountains and restaurants. For example Buses: All passenger stations in this state operated
It was thought that the color of people 's skin could say exactly who they are. These ridiculous ideas of knowing who people are based on what they look like were derived from stereotypes that have been around for a while. These stereotypes came from the Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, who spread these ideas like wildfire. These ideas were drilled into people 's heads, and these ideas were taken as true facts, and this influenced them to do actions that can 't be proven to be racist, but have a racist motive. This concept is highly seen in institutional racism. The KKK spread many ideas that made people who were different seem like savages who did not con form to society. Laws were set into place to prevent discrimination. Despite laws, these stereotypes are still seen today and thus we see institutional racism.
The history of the United States is one of duality. In the words of the
Since the beginning of colonization, America has been controlled by religiously and ethically diverse whites. The most profound cases of racism in the “United” States of America have been felt by Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Muslims. Major racially structured institutions include; slavery, settlement, Indian reservations, segregation, residential schools, and internment camps (Racism in the U.S., 1). Racism has been felt and seen by many in housing, the educational system, places of employment, and the government. Discrimination was largely criminalized in the mid 20th century, and at the same time became socially unacceptable and morally repugnant (Racism in the U.S., 1). Although racism was
Different from racism by individuals, it reflects the disparities regarding criminal justice, employment, housing and education. Individual racism consists of overt acts, it can usually involve things such as violence, death and destruction of property. This form of racism is obvious and can be pointed out instantly. Institutional racism, on the other hand, is less overt and very subtle. Institutional racism usually occurs within respected forces in society, thus, cannot be confronted in an obvious manner. An example of individual racism would be if a black family moved into a white neighborhood and someone damages their property. An example of institutionalized racism would when black families are forced to live in urban cities and are not allowed to buy homes in white neighborhoods per say. Educational institutions are also an example of institutionalized racism because in many private colleges, diversity was not present, the emphasis on diversity in colleges has only recently become a phenomenon. “It is harder for a white college student to understand the need that minority students feel to band together against discrimination” (Waters, 1996, 236). Waters points out that often times in colleges where diversity is not apparent, the minority students—Asian, African Americans, Jewish, Arabian and Latino—bind together no matter their racial
The U.S is only 5% of the world’s population and houses a quarter of its prison inmates; well over 2 million people. In the past decade the war on drugs has filled many state and federal prisons with a numerous amount of inmates. Building new prisons is not the answer to tackling the prison overcrowding dilemma. The U.S doesn’t have the money due to economic strains, and it will not solve this issue head on as needed. “California may be forced to release up to 33,000 prisoners by 2013” (Shapiro & Wizner, 2011, p.1.). Some women and men do not belong in prison, and should be given other opportunities to sought help. Prison overcrowding is a growing concern in the U.S today. There are many different alternatives to end prison overcrowding versus releasing them into the community. For example by launching a parole support group or treatment or rehabilitation programs for inmates as well as ex-offenders, house arrest or probation are other routes to explore.
It is the unintentional placing of all the advantages to the White ethnic group. It often takes place without individuals being aware they are depriving others of privileges. Structural functionalists describe this discrimination as the way society has created stability. Institutional discrimination shapes society and keeps it functioning as it has for decades. “Institutional racism exists in nearly ever corner of American society today and is what is driving the tension we are seeing.” Racism and discrimination are still an issue today because of the way our American institutions were established and the way they function. Some individuals recognize this issue and try to remove their discrimination, but even neutral standards in our institutions can cause discriminatory effects
Despite of this, it is important to note that there are programs, very few of them, that indeed help women transition successfully from prison into communities. Community collaboration is an essential part of this success. Programs that offer approaches focused on the needs of this vulnerable population and address issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems, education and healthcare services before and after their release from prison are the most successful (Blitz, Wolff, Pan, & Pogorzelski, 2005). In point of fact, minimizing the obstacles that recently released women face decreases the likelihood that they will reoffend again. Therefore it is important to emphasize that the effective utilization of resources available, communication and collaboration amongst correctional facilities and communities is vital to successfully help women
Impact of Institutional Racism and Implicit bias on Education Why are minority students not performing on the same level as their white counterparts? This is a question that has been posed over the last four decades. Some believe that this poor performance is a result of institutional racism; others believe that students of color underperform due to lack of intelligence or cultural differences. So, which is it? If as a nation we believe that institutional racism is not an issue, then how do we explain the achievement gap between suburban areas and the inner city?
Racist and racism are provocative words in American society. To some, they become curse words. They are descriptive words of reality that cannot be denied. Some people believe that race is the primary determinant of human abilities and capacities and behave as if racial differences produce inherent superiorities. People of color are often injured by these judgements and actions whether they are directly or indirectly racist. Just as individuals can act in racist ways, so can institutions. Institutions can be overtly or inherently racist. Institutions can also injure people. The outcome is nonetheless racist, if not intentional (Randall).
Females experience several disparities post release, including employment, housing, parole, access to health care and services along with the transition from prison to living independently in the community.
Prisons serve the same reason for women and men, they are also tools of social control. The imprisonment of women in the U.S. has always been a different experience then what men go through. The proportion of women in prison has always differed from that of men by a large amount. Women have traditionally been sent to prison for different reasons, and once in prison they endure different conditions of incarceration. Women incarcerated tend to need different needs for physical and mental health issues. When a mother is incarcerated it tends to play an impact on the children also. Over time the prison system has created different gender responsive programs to help with the different needs of female offenders. After being released from prison
An “alternative to incarceration” is when an offender is not placed in prison and is given another alternative to serve their time and pay restitution for their crimes, such as probation, community service, community correctional centers, ankle monitoring, and community service programs to improve their lives. Our Federal, state and local government is looking for ways to keep non- violent offenders out of jail, by providing alternative programs for them, by keeping them accountable for their crimes and at the same time keeping our communities safe by not putting them back into society if they are not rehabilitated. The Obama Administration is on board to help find these alternative programs, which in turn will bring cost down. Alternatives to prison is crucial for women in general, because most of these women are in jail for committing crimes in order to provide for their children, for example, prostitution, and stealing to put food on the table.
Recidivism is often attributed to the characteristics of individual female offenders or to the conditions of their prison environments. Female offenders, who are usually incarcerated for nonviolent economic crimes, are predominantly poor, young, educationally disadvantaged, and high school dropouts, so it is not surprising that they are unskilled and were employed in low-income jobs before they went to prison. Furthermore, these women are often the heads of households with children under age 18 and have histories of victimization and alcohol and drug