For the past two years, I have volunteered for a nonprofit program that provides services to children of incarcerated parents. I have a now 10-year-old mentee whom I meet with regularly. We talk about her family, school, and her struggles, and I take her around the city (I live in the New York City area) for various exhibits and experiences. Before I began volunteering at the program I did not think much about incarceration. I was lucky enough to not be exposed to incarceration growing up, as I never knew anyone who had gone to jail or prison. After spending time at the program, however, I became away of the various issues those returning from incarceration face. Due to stereotypes, ambivalent racism, and the concept of the undeserving poor, these people struggle to adjust to life following incarceration. Incarceration is a major issue, as the United States has the highest rate of incarceration per 100,000 individuals of any other country (Sentencing Project, n.d.).
Stereotypes are concepts about groups of people, which ascribe attributes to these people based on a characteristic they have, or a group they belong to (Gruman, Schneuder, Coutts, 2017). In the case of incarceration, in my experience at the nonprofit, people view those previously incarcerated as dangerous, and not trustworthy. They are assumed to be bad parents, and incompetent, due to their incarceration. As I have learned, however, this is stereotype is often inaccurate. Rather, incarceration can be systemic, and difficult to avoid in communities laden with poverty and racism. Rather than being inherently dangerous, many previously incarcerated individuals were driven to illegal means in order to sustain themselves. Many grew up in the community where the nonprofit is based and grew up with very limited economic resources and opportunities. Thus, they resorted to using illegal means (e.g. drug sales) to support themselves and their families. Rather than being inherently dangerous or untrustworthy, many of these people were not exposed to other opportunities. Growing up in a community where the typical way of supporting oneself with illegal activity negatively affected these people at a young age. Many of these people were young when they were incarcerated, and no longer wish to engage in the activities the once did. Stereotypes, however, often keep them from being able to move on, and enter into a new phase of life. These stereotypes, ironically, encourage the labels they project.
Furthermore, previously incarcerated people suffer from ambivalent racism. One in three black men will be incarcerated during his lifetime, compared to one of 17 white men (Sentencing Project, n.d.). Similarly, one in 18 black women will be incarcerated in their lifetime, compared to one in 111 white women. As we learned, ambivalent racism occurs when despite recognizing racial inequalities, people hold the belief that everyone has the same opportunities (Gruman, Schneuder, Coutts, 2017). This, however, is misguided. For one, as I have seen at the nonprofit, the opportunities are frequently not the same for those of different races. School qualities, for instance, drastically vary depending on the wealth of an area, and typically the wealth of an area is connected to the racial majority in that area. I live in the New York City area, and I have noticed a large racial difference in the wealthy versus poor areas; wealthy areas are predominantly white, while poor areas are predominantly black. Depending on the wealth of the area, the school quality is different. Further, “researchers have found that the single-most powerful predictor of racial gaps in educational achievement,” and having less equipt school districts increases the racial gap in education (Boschma & Brownstein, 2016). Without a quality school district for quality education, the same opportunities are just not available.
Finally, the concept of the undeserving poor, in my opinion, holistically encompasses these issues more than any other concept. The term “underserving poor” refers to the view that one’s economic situation is their own fault, rather than the result of circumstances (Gruman, Schneuder, Coutts, 2017). To me, this is the heart of the problem. Rather than taking into account the various situational factors that lead to the incarceration of an individual–and working to improve these factors–people such as employers, landlords, etc. believe that incarceration was the individual’s fault and that they cannot be trusted. This makes it very difficult for the person to build a new life for themselves, even if they are doing all of the “right” actions (e.g. going to interviews, applying for jobs, etc.). People believe these previously incarcerated individuals deserve to be the economic situation they are in, which, as described previously, is not the case. This belief is so misguided because it fails to take into account the educational, social, and economic factors at play. To label a previously incarcerated person as part of the “undeserving poor” is to be blind to the various situational factors that would affect anyone in the same situation.
The time I have spent at the nonprofit I volunteer for has taught me so much about the various influence that leads to incarceration. When I first visited the center I was a bit nervous, as I had heard warnings about the neighborhood, and that it was “very dangerous,” and that I “shouldn’t go.” After a handful of visits, however, I was no longer nervous and felt comfortable in the neighborhood. While I knew there was a high crime rate in the area, people in the neighborhood were predominantly friendly and seemed to look out for each other in a way I never saw in my own neighborhood growing up. I realized that people had views of those who lived there–and those who had been previously incarcerated–without any experience of visiting or getting to know the people. I realized that the factors of stereotypes, ambivalent racism, and the concept of the undeserving poor were preventing people from getting to know people struggling with these issues, thus keeping them isolated and unable to challenge their beliefs about what previously incarcerated people are like. Hopefully, over time, we can all work towards understanding people who have had a different experience than we have, rather than making assumptions about something we have not ourselves lived.
References
Applied Social Psychology (PSYCH 424). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2008549/modules
Criminal Justice Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Janie Boschma, R. B. (2016, February 29). Students of Color Are Much More Likely to Attend Schools Where Most of Their Peers Are Poor. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/02/concentration-poverty-american-schools/471414/.
This is such an intriguing topic. You mentioned that in your experience from working at the local nonprofit, you learned that rather than repeat offenders being inherently dangerous, they re offend in order to maintain themselves. Most of the offenders have grown up participating in the illegal behavior, such as selling drugs. Therefore, that is what they are used to and all they know. Stereotypes prevent these individuals from moving on and entering that new phase of life.
You brought up an interesting point about the lower income parts have less equip schools than wealthy parts in the New York City area. In addition, wealthy areas are predominantly white, while poor areas are predominantly black. I feel like this is a reoccurring theme in most of the United States. At least where I am in Charleston, SC, wealthy areas are predominantly white, while poor areas are predominantly black.