Mass incarceration has had a devastating impact on low income African American neighborhoods. Meanwhile, more affluent and white areas have gone largely unscathed. Though mass incarceration targets specific places, it is driven by much more than the behavior of people within any given locale. Research has made clear that local crime levels are not purely responsible for incarceration rates. In other words, we are not simply punishing people for the crimes they commit. We are also punishing them for the places where they live, the schools that failed them and the employers that rejected them. And, without question, we are punishing them for the darkness of their skin. These factors work together to shape who gets portrayed as a criminal, and who escapes such portrayals. In this video, Ryan Lugalia-Hollon shows how mass incarceration has impact Chicago’s West and South Sides. He introduces the concept of “Justice Reinvestment” and shares about Chicago’s Million Dollar Blocks.
This is needed across the nation. Thank you for taking this giant first step and then providing models and maps for others to follow.