Jail Bird

Last Wednesday I attended a lecture with a friend entitled "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" at the Hammer museum in Los Angeles. Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow..." book, spent just under an hour opening my eyes to a whole new section of society, that quite honestly, I hadn't given much thought to before; convicted felons. Because this issue is so new to me, I was not able to fully capture the depth of relevance as much as I think I should have. With every statistic she presented, multiple questions swirled around my head. Some she instinctively knew others were considering and so addressed them while the others have continued to bounce around my brain.

Did you know that in CA a convicted felon cannot vote until he or she has completed their time in prison AND all of their parole time. In some states, a felony conviction equals the removal of the right to vote for life.

Did you know a convicted felon cannot apply for food stamps EVER in his or her life? This was enacted under the Clinton presidency.

Did you know a convicted felon, once released, cannot apply for public housing for at least 5 years (time varies per state)?

Did you know "prosecutors also tend to reduce the charges against whites convicted of felonies more often than against blacks convicted of felonies. A comprehensive examination of 700,000 criminal cases by the San Jose Mercury News, Mauer noted, included that of 71,000 adults with no prior records. In this group, one-third of whites had their felony charges reduced to misdemeanors 'while only one quarter of blacks and Hispanics received this disposition.'" ("African-Americans Have Seven Times Greater Chance of Imprisonment", Sherwood Ross, March 3, 2010)

Did you know an employer and landlord can use a felony conviction as a legal form of discrimination?

Did you know a convicted felon, in many states, can never run for public office or hold any government position?

If you already knew any of the above facts, then you are light years ahead of me. There are so many more statistics and opinions around this issue, especially since African Americans make up the majority of the prison population and a majority of those convicted of a felony.

Perhaps the above stats don't mean much to you as you think "of course they shouldn't have rights, they are CRIMINALS", but should their punishment extend beyond their time in state or federal prison?

I have no answers, just more questions. Even last night as I lay in bed, I considered the lack of well-funded education in inner-city communities, lack of access to healthy and affordable foods, lack of green space for parks and rec, lack of affordable and livable housing, lack of reliable information in the case of a criminal act, lack of affordable health care; just a lack! Some say this is blatant racism, but I'm wondering if it's more just blatant classism that, unfortunately, has a direct effect on African American and Latino communities. Regardless, why is such an "ism" allowed to flourish today?

I have no answers...