Apartheid Resurrected: How American Incarceration Policies Wage War On Poor African American Communities

Abstract

Clearly, determinate sentencing policies which are disproportionate in their application, resulting in increased incarceration of a specific minority group, fail to fulfill the objectives of a fair and just criminal justice system. As I have mentioned before, incarceration is a legitimate governmental sanction, but it must be used sensibly. The situation faced by poor African American communities as a result of such criminal policies is an urgent one. Affirmative steps must be taken to address these disparities if there is to be any hope of reversing their effects. [From Conclusion]