According to Alexander (2010), human is to error. Therefore, every person is bound to commit mistakes and break the law at some point. This is human nature. She notes that there is no big difference between a white kid selling drugs in the dorm and a black one selling them in the streets. Both are crimes. They should be punished equally by the criminal justice system. However, this is usually not the case in the judicial systems. Alexander notes that most minorities get disproportionate sentences compared to their white counterparts for similar crimes. Further, there is discrimination in the jury. All these points to a seriously racialized criminal justice system.
Various factors contribute to the increased crime rates by the African Americans. Most of the inner cities’ population are poor. Therefore, most of their activities are purely for survival. The lack of education and decent jobs can be seen as what pushes the African American community and other minorities into committing crimes such as selling drugs. This can be viewed as free will but a critical look shows that this is purely a survival mechanism (Quigley, 2011) . Alexander (2010) notes that the whites witnessed and propagated the economic collapse of the inner cities. This is what led to the increased poverty amongst the minorities.
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After release from jail, most African Americans are segregated. They are viewed by both the justice system and the community as outskirts. This has intense psychological torture. It does more harm to the individual because it does not allow for healing and reform. Such individuals are therefore predisposed to committing new crimes. This can in a way can be seen as free will but looking at the background circumstances one can see that the circumstances greatly favor the individual to commit new crimes. Moreover, a child that grows in an environment where crimes are rampant is likely to commit crimes as an adult. This is both for the white and black community. Therefore, the socialization and not free will in this case predisposes an individual to committing a crime (Alexander, 2010) .
Fathers and father figures have a huge impact in the lives of their children. Firstly, they help the mother in parenting. They are also seen as a source security to their children. During growth and development, most fathers are involved in the “play” aspects of the children. They are seen to involve the children in various games. This is important for proper growth and development. Fathers also offer great lesson to their sons and daughter. They provide a mirror to their children. Sons look up to their fathers to offer guidance and direction. Daughters look up to their father for security and love. Fathers help build self-confidence of their children (Spetter, 2020) . Alexander (2010) notes that most fathers have been incarcerated and therefore are absent in the upbringing of their children. The importance of fathers in the lives of their children should therefore be put into consideration during sentencing. A fair judgment aimed at reform and not punishment should be the goal of the criminal justice system.
References
Alexander, M. (2010). The New Jim Crow Mass Incaceration in the Age of Color Blindness. New york: The New Press.
Quigley, B. (2011). Fourteen Examples of Racism in Criminal Justice System. Huffpost .
Spetter, D. (2020). The Role of Fathers in Childhood Development . Retrieved from Harvard Education: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/inside-extension/role-fathers-childhood-development
