The Racial Politics of Youth Crime
- The first half of the reading response should summarize the main point of the reading.
- Then, write your reflections: what was particularly surprising or interesting to you?
- What have you observed in society that complements or refutes the argument made by the author?
Summary of the Main PointsThe Racial Politics of the Youth Crime article by Victor Rios addresses the changes that have occurred in the juvenile system of America. The article argues that a strong connection exists between race and crime where the Black and Latino youth are the major focus of the new justice system. The author features Juan’s case as an example of how Black and Latino’s youth are affected by the juvenile system. According to the article, Juan was a minor who engaged in minor crimes such as tagging a wall but was severely punished and sentenced for 35 years (Rios, 2009). The author claims that Blacks and Latino youths are deprived of the opportunity for rehabilitation when involved in minor crimes. On this note, the new juvenile system is consciously directed to the non-natives of America, hence a discriminative one.
Reflection
The article provides critical information about how the American juvenile system operates. In this regard, I found it surprising how the Americans administer justice to society with a lot of racial discrimination involved. According to the article, the Black and Latino criminal youths are severely punished for minor mistakes while the natives are lightly punished. What the policymakers should realize is that crime does not realize color or origin and hence the criminals should be accorded an equal measure of punishment for similar crimes.
Observations in the Society That Complements the Argument of the Author
From my observations, most of the criminals are youths and minors. Such a case could be a result of counter-reaction by the youths to the severe punishments charged to them over minor crimes instead of rehabilitation programs. My observation complements the author’s claim that the largest populations posing threat to public safety include young adult criminals (Rios, 2009). According to the article, the media reported that 68% of violence involved the youths which is a clear indication that the juvenile justice system required some adjustments to reduce such a number.
References
Rios, V. M. (2009). The racial politics of youth crime. In Behind Bars (pp. 97-111). Palgrave
Macmillan, New York.
