[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2190-E2191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




STATE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE AND OVERREPRESENTATION IN AMERICA'S 
                             PRISON SYSTEMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I, like many members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, am moved to speak about the state of the 
African American male and their alarming overrepresentation in the 
American penal system.
  Sweeping changes in crime control and the drastic modifications of 
sentencing policies have led to a staggering increase in prison 
populations. Ironically, although the country is experiencing a 
decrease in crime rates, the inmate population is increasing. According 
to the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, the increase 
in inmate population is

[[Page E2191]]

largely due to ``truth-in-sentencing'' laws that limit early releases, 
mandatory drug sentences, get tough anti-crime policies enacted in the 
1980s and 1990s, and ``three strikes and you're out'' laws for repeat 
offenders. Over 2,000,000 prisoners are now held in Federal and State 
prisons and local jails. Nearly 925,000 Americans are convicted of 
felony offenses in American courts each year and some 600,000 are 
incarcerated as a result.
  As the national inmate population has increased, the impact on 
minority communities has been devastating. Two-thirds of the prison 
population are now racial and ethnic minorities, and for African 
American males in their twenties, one in every eight is in prison or 
jail on any given day. Even more upsetting is that African American 
males born today have a one in three chance of going to prison during 
their lifetime, compared to a one in seventeen chance for white males. 
At year-end 2003, African American inmates represented an estimated 44 
percent of all inmates with sentences of more than one year.
  Despite the notion that the Scales of Justice is blind, it is no 
secret that racial bias plays a deplorable role in the disproportionate 
conviction and sentencing of African American men compared to their 
racial counterparts (who are charged with the same or a similar 
offense). In addition to racial bias, the high rate of minority 
involvement in the system reflects a complex set of social, economic, 
and community problems often tied to poverty, lack of access to 
education, and unemployment.
  While some would assert that ``if one does the crime, then he must do 
the time,'' it is imperative to remember that once these individuals 
have done their time and ``repaid their debt to society,'' they should 
not be thrown back into the fray without the proper tools they need to 
overcome the factors that initially led to their involvement in the 
criminal justice system. The transition from prison life is inherently 
difficult, especially for individuals who have served a lengthy 
sentence and received little preparation for life in a law-abiding 
society. In addition to be being stigmatized with a conviction, former 
offenders face challenges finding employment, housing, health care, and 
public assistance. Often they are also alienated from their families 
and communities. All of these negative outcomes contribute to increased 
recidivism, public health risks, homelessness, unemployment, and 
disenfranchisement.
  Perhaps the most significant costs of prisoner re-entry are the 
impact on children, the weakened ties among family members, and 
destabilized communities. The long-term generational effects of a 
social structure in which imprisonment is the norm and law abiding role 
models are absent are difficult to measure but undoubtedly exist.
  African American males are a critical component of African American 
families and communities. I, like my CBC colleagues, remain poised to 
take action to reverse the negative trends surrounding African American 
males and their incarceration and to reinforce this group's positive 
characteristics.
  It is for this reason that Congress members John Conyers, Jr., Bobby 
Scott, and I introduced H.R. 5075, which identifies programs and 
policies that would encourage the successful reentry of incarcerated 
persons into the community after their release. For similar reasons, I 
have continually pushed for the reauthorization of the Community Safety 
through Recidivism Prevention Act (The Second Chance Act of 2004).
  Consequently, I co-sponsored Congressman Rob Portman's bill, H.R. 
4676, to reauthorize the grant program of the Department of Justice for 
reentry of offenders into the community and to establish a task force 
on Federal programs and activities relating to the reentry of 
offenders.
  While members of the CBC and other conscientious national and state 
legislators have worked to reform the prison system and provide 
programs and policies that eliminate many of the barriers that ex-
offenders face upon reentry, there is still much work to do. We will 
continue to fight for the passage of federal legislation to provide 
former offenders eligibility for public housing assistance, funding for 
students loans and grants, and assistance in retaining or re-
establishing voting rights. We will also continue to push for 
legislation that would provide tax incentives to businesses that hire 
former felons, helping them to become self-sufficient upon reentry.
  I sincerely believe that we can assist these men, our brothers, to 
reach their potential when they return to society. I know that this 
requires the creation of a support system that begins during their 
incarceration and continues after their release. I believe that we must 
not give up on these men, but provide them with the resources they 
need--during and after their incarceration--to contribute to their 
families and society in a meaningful way.

                          ____________________