 "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"
In the past decade the African American community has seen a constant deteriation of the socio-economic conditions of their young men.
- Addiction to "Crack"--cocaine combined with alcoholism have surpassed epidemic proportions by all standards,
- Rates of recidivism in the penal system is at its highest levels,
- A larger number of juveniles are being tried as adults for major felony crimes,
- Rates of suicide among black males are at their highest levels in US history,
Per capita, HIV infection among African American men between the ages of 18 - 35 have shown the greatest increase in infection rate of any race/age category. And unfortunately, predictions of future infection rates, based on current levels, foretell a very frightening picture of the "extermination" of an entire generation.
A very disturbing phenomenon, (men who have sex with men -- "MSM" -- Brothers on the "down low"), is increasingly becoming the primary means of transmitting HIV to heterosexual, Black women and men. Untreated sexual addiction and/or experimental homosexual activity in prisons have laid the path for some heterosexual or "straight," Black men to engage in further riskier sexual behavior such as this. "MSM" is having grave consequences for the health and families of these men.
Just as disturbing is the sharp increase of "Black-on-Black" crime among young men and the increased physcial and sexual abuse inflicted upon young, Black women by the very same men that should be their natural "protectors."
Unfortunately, the residence of our neighborhoods are more tolerant of this self-destructive behavior our young men are exhibiting, and they have less expectations that the situation will change. The general public is even more immuned to its negative impact on our communities, and their solution to the problem is to build more prisons for our young adults and to forget about rehabilating our young juveniles and just focus on punishment.
Overwhelmingly, many of the nation's leading social-psychologist with extensive experience and research in the urban environment are concluding that the situation is clearly a case of cultural "nihilism" with no end in sight. On the other hand, the advocates of the incarcerated and young, African American men argue that much of what our young men are facing is simply the result of institutional racism. But all agree that the results are detrimental to our community. To learn more about the various viewpoints on this subject, follow the links below for additional information:
To many, the situation seems hopeless. But we, at The Good Shepherd Restoration Ministries, know better. Recently, Faith-Based Initiatives have demonstrated remarkable success with transforming the very lives upon which many in our society, including the experts, had given up. It seems that introducing our young men to faith in God gives them meaning in life and a sense of purpose. More importantly, by introducing faith in God through Christian values, lays a foundation of discipline that begins the process of transformation and brings hope into what appeared to be a hopeless situation.
Our men's ministry, "The Brotherhood," provides an environment conducive to realizing a need for faith in God in a setting men generally can appreciate. To learn more about our men's ministry, "The Brotherhood," click here.
The following articles in PDF version are of value for gaining a better understanding of the socio-economic conditions of young, black men and their plight in surviving our current judicial and penal system. We recommend that you download the articles for future reference:
 The CDC's Latest Report on AIDS and the African American Community
This CDC fact sheet discusses the statistics of HIV/AIDS among African Americans and the importance of increasing HIV prevention efforts among them. Reports released at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta show that the African-American community is being particularly hard hit by HIV and AIDS. Death rates from AIDS were 10 times higher for African Americans than for whites in 1998. In addition, the rate of new AIDS cases is 10 times higher for African Americans than for whites.
The CDC's AIDS Prevention Program for the African American Community
AIDS is the leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44. Though African Americans form approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, in 1997 over half (53 percent) of the total AIDS cases reported were among African Americans. That year, 76 percent of all women reported with AIDS were African-American, and African-American children accounted for 81 percent of all children reported with AIDS.
Prosecuting Juveniles in Adult Court: An Assessment of Trends and Consequences
Fear of out-of-control juvenile crime and a coming generation of “super-predators,”
compellingly if erroneously described publicly and to Congress in 1996, has undermined the
traditional practice of treating young offenders as different from adult criminals – less culpable
because of their age and more amenable to rehabilitation. In recent years, the focus has turned to
punishment and in particular to the transfer of increasing numbers of youthful offenders from
juvenile to criminal courts.
These “solutions” have been demonstrated to be doing more harm
than good. This policy paper provides information on changes in the juvenile justice system and
analyzes why the increased prosecution of juveniles in adult court is another failed “get tough”
policy which is unjust and harmful to children and does nothing to increase public safety.
Critical Choices: New Options in Juvenile Crime Policy As juvenile crime rates continue to fall, new policymakers in the 106th Congress and state
houses and legislatures nationwide have a valuable opportunity to reconsider legislative strategies
and funding priorities to support young people and their families and to increase public safety. This
paper provides an analysis of current trends in juvenile crime and reports on crime reduction
programs that have proven successful. The
The Crisis of the Young African American Male and the Criminal Justice System
In recent years policy attention regarding the crisis of the African American male has focused on
a variety of areas in which African American males have suffered disproportionately from social
ills. These have included education, housing, employment, and health care, among others.
Perhaps in no other area, though, have these problems been displayed as prominently as in the
realm of crime and the criminal justice system.
This paper will explore the current status of African American males within the criminal justice
system and consider projections for the future should current policies continue. It will also
assess the factors that have created such high levels of criminal justice control. Finally, it will
provide a set of recommendations for public policy that would help to alleviate the disastrous
circumstances that currently prevail while having a more constructive impact on public safety.
From Prison To Home: The Dimensions and Consequences of Prisoner Reentry We are pleased to present this monograph
on prisoner reentry. We hope it
can inform a broad set of discussions
about one of the most pressing issues
of our time—the challenge of reintegrating
record numbers of individuals
who leave prison and return home.
This challenge is felt differently by
different sectors of our society. Most
fundamentally, it is experienced by
nearly 1,600 men and women who
leave prison each day. In a monograph
such as this one, we cannot capture
their stories, yet their experiences give
meaning and richness to the data we
present in the pages that follow.
Prisoner Reenty in Perspective The massive increase in incarceration in the
United States that occurred during the past 20 years
has now turned public attention toward the consequences
of releasing large numbers of prisoners back
into society. Prisoner reentry has raised questions
about public safety, about how corrections systems
should manage the volume of releases, and about how
communities can absorb and reintegrate the returning
prisoners. Very little is known about these matters,
yet speculation is rife that the volume of returning
prisoners will result in more crime and in more
challenges for supervision, and that it will reduce the
capacity of communities to absorb ex-prisoners.
The Prison Payoff: The Role of Politics and Private Prisons in the Incarceration Boom The U.S. is currently engaged in the largest prison build-up in recorded history. Since 1980 we have more
than quadrupled our prison population. Nearly one in every 150 Americans is incarcerated today, at an
annual cost of $40 billion. During the same time period, crime rates have remained steady or decreased.
If crime is not on the rise, why are incarceration rates skyrocketing? It is well documented that the media
sensationalize crime and the public’s fear of crime (which is out of proportion with actual victimization
rates4 ). This propensity feeds and is fed by political opportunism that exploits the public’s fear for the sake
of political gain. Ever since the infamous Willie Horton ads were aired to discredit Democratic Presidential
candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988, politicians from both major parties have had a morbid fear of
appearing soft on crime.
But beyond the fears fanned by the media and self-interested politicians, what else is driving the U.S.
incarceration boom?
It is our conclusion that a major factor in the current incarceration boom is the influence of private prison
corporations with vested financial interests in increasing rates of imprisonment. Between 1987 and 1996,
the number of inmates in private prisons soared more than 2000 percent, jumping from 3,122 to 78,000.
By December, 1999, private prison beds in the U.S. numbered over 130,000.
This report documents two of the primary methods used by private prison corporations to wield influence:
political campaign contributions and ideologically-loaded model legislation shaped by the same private
interests who stand to profit from it.
for more information on these and other related subjects, please visit our Download Center for additional resources.
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