I feel like the problem that needs to be addressed is re-entry into society, and the age-old problem of prisons – how do we balance punishment with reasonable leniency

– because it is a well documented and talked about problem that being in prison can only further marginalize a person, or in fact make them completely incapable of operating in society because they become dependent on a prison system. But what she is talking about seems like it could be fixed in prison reform across the boards, not necessarily racially driven.  She sums her idea up like this, “It may be helpful, in attempting to understand the basic nature of the new caste system, to think of the criminal justice system— the entire collection of institutions and practices that comprise it— not as an independent system but rather as a gateway into a much larger system of racial stigmatization and permanent marginalization.” But regardless of whether prison makes you more likely to commit a crime, and regardless of your past history, thephysical immediacy of a crime requires it to be dealt with in some way that appeases the public and the victims family. Take the recent shooting of a baby in Georgia – Two young, black teenagers are awaiting trial. There was uproar in some circles about the whole thing being a white conspiracy. The mother and aunt of the older boy (the suspected actual shooter- DeMarquis Elkins) gave him an alibi, but were later arrested and rescinded everything they said, as well as led the authorities to the gun.

I couldn’t find out too much about Elkin’s backstory but if say, his parents had criminal records, or basically it seemed like the influences in his early life were leading him up to a point where he would inevitably commit a crime, and we could feel pity for the helpless newborn that he once was, it doesn’t change the incident of murder, and the victim/victim’s family deserves justice. That’s why I think the racially connected problems occur more outside prisons, or need to be dealt with outside prison, at the root.  I agree with her that racism against African-Americans has contributed heavily to damaged and crime-ridden communities, but I think the problems need to now be dealt with in new ways to repair and build these communities; because while I agree that complete racial indifference isn’t right, neither is her racially-overt stance.

We have to move away from consistently repressive language to move into something new!