Module 6: Violence and Crime

Drugs, crime, mass incarceration, gun violence, opioid addiction, health disparities (physical/mental)

Assignment: infographic


13th: (14th Amendment - nobody can be held as a slave, freedom to all Americans, loophole: criminals)

  • US: 5% of the worlds population but 25% are locked up

  • How much does the criminal justice system costs: how did we solve this?

  • Rooted in slavery: Slavery benefited economy, after it ended→ how do you rebuild economy with free AA?, AA arrested at a high rate for minor crime (loitering, vagrancy), forced labor to rebuild economy, “black people(men) were a threat to white women”

  • Media Representation of black people: Birth of a Nation: KKK were the heroes and black men wanted to rape white women (neg stereotypes of black men) → rebirth of KKK

  • 13th amendment → labor → incarceration social

  • kkk lynching forced AA to flee to other places: New York, la, Compton, Chicago

  • Civil rights activists seen as criminals

  • Crime rate increased as civil rights were being pushed, politicians blame civil rights/ AA

  • 1970s: “mass incarceration”, Richard Nixon: “war on crime” dog whistle, arrest gay, women, black liberation and rights, “War on Drugs”: drugs problem is a crime rather than a health problem, ppl arrested for weed and small things, Southern strategy: poor white ppl join Republican Party by talking about drugs, crime, and law and order (racist dogwhistle)

  • 1980s: Ronald Reagan: “War on Drugs” 1982 - D.A.R.E. (“Just say NO”) “educating ppl not locking ppl up”, increase in poverty, Crack Cocaine epidemic: targeted AA/Latino communities, Mandatory sentencing harsher for crack than powder (white, more sophisticated, suburbs) War on people of color, tax cuts for the rich, pop culture: Cops show, news/media, shows black men as criminals (exaggeration), “super predators”→ gang of fatherless, jobless teens, cut funding for welfare program for prison systems

  • George Bush and Dukakis: Bush created fear around black men being criminals and won

  • 1990s: Bill Clinton: “centrist” stance on crime, “three strikes you’re out” - after third violent crime you go to jail, released people to make more room, mandatory minimums- , employ technology to crack down on crimes


Notes: Solutions

  • Fair Sentencing Act of 2010- reduced disparity for crack cocaine: 1g to 18

  • 40% for drugs in 1980 → 61% 1991

  • First Step Act 2018- 30,000 ppl expidise, will they do it again: only 12% recitibism

  • Petition can be made to judges

  • Home confinement

  • How risky is it to release a person?

    • Problem with algorithm: background, mental wellbeing, race, education, employment, etc → inequality



Cornell:

Internal investigation

  • Law enforcement dont have much experience with sex-related crimes

  • Is the process itself adequate

  • Title IX


Opioid Crisis:

  • What were the cause of increased addiction and death

    • Data released about painkillers were inaccurate (claimed to not be as addictive as it actually is)

    • Pharma companies persuade doctors that they aren’t addictive

    • Very accessible and can get it for many reasons (sports injury, toothache, back pain)

    • Change in how we access pain

    • Marketing/ Advertising

    • Over-prescription for a 30 day period → corporate interest

    • Doctors try to quickly solve this but simply giving addictive drugs and calling it a day



.