Hello Merel, 

Great chronological summary. I believe the normalization part of it has to do with imprisonment becoming so prevalent that it becomes an expectation and conversely for some it even becomes a badge of honor despite the drawbacks that this can lead to. I guess you can think about it in the sense of conditioning someone or an entire segment of society in such a way that prison isn’t that big of a deal, but just part of life. I think it’s important to note that the effects of prison displayed in all the articles have effects on each other especially for African Americans. One thing that I know has been done to decrease the harsher sentencing that affects the black and poorer communities in general was the max sentencing for the use of crack cocaine. This was something that Obama had a hand in. Powder cocaine (the more expensive pure cocaine) had a lower max sentence than crack (the cheap rock cocaine that poorer drug abusers can afford). I believe looking at uneven sentencing rates and specific crime can be a way to have jail time not be as biased against one group.

I like that you mentioned the over policing, processing, and sentencing within the black community due to laws targeting their areas. Thank you also for pointing the what I’m sure was the most interesting result of the criminal record article with regard to job attainment. I really believe this type of discrimination or bias to be the starting point to this issue at large. If one group or type of person isn’t given the same opportunities as others, than they are likely to go into the only other alternates they have; crime. The over policing only leads to greater chances of imprisonment, and of course the effects of prison as displayed in the Stanford experiment can have effects long after one is released. Unfortunately this whole cycle being a part of one’s “life cycle” is a sad reality for these groups, and the fact that other groups buy into the stigma that surrounds them because of it. Ultimately I think it all plays a part in it. One acts the way they are treated, and the other buys into what the system has shaped them into.

I like that you started with the article that touches on the opportunities for black men even without a criminal record being less than for white men with a record. This I believe is really the initial stage that leads into the rest of the articles, since less opportunities to make money “legally” can lead to them turning to illegal activity to make money. Then with the over policing placed in their communities, their chances of being incarcerated also go up. Also as you stated next, this becomes a reality and expectation of their life. I think you did a great job with the life cycle article in bringing up how this can affect the other parts in a normal life cycle can be affected by time in prison.