Over the past 20 years, I’ve spent time assessing how weas a community of people (the black community)got in the social state we’re in, an absolute crisis; and more importantly, how we get out. I run a think tank, and I not only read and research data, giving thought; but I also bring, from my own personal experience inside the welfare state, an understanding of the mentality that says we can disconnect from our personal responsibility– the first step out of poverty, which is self-governance.

Blacks still face racism in every facet of the criminal justice system: i.e. racial profiling by law enforcement, being excluded from juries based solely on race, receiving stiffer sentences than Whites who commit the same offenses, etc. Even Black judges have stories about how they are discriminated against by White judges.

Society is being inundated with images of sagging pants, gangsters, drugs, prostitution, excess drinking, and doing time. Crime pays and it pays well. Young people of today see images of those who have become successful through a life of criminality, whom possess; millions of dollars, highly expensive houses, cars, clothes, dining in five-star restaurants, star in their own reality shows, and are seemingly living the fabulous life

The exploding prison population in the United States now tops two million including federal, state and local facilities. Over 95% of these individuals will eventually be released. With this reality come questions: what do we do with these individuals when they are released and what can we do about the fact that nearly 7 in 10 of them will be rearrested within three years?

What if we could build a system that punished criminals, while teaching those who are young enough to be salvaged to make better choices? This could save the nation trillions of dollars over the next decade or so because it can cost as much as $50,000 yearly to keep an un-restored person behind bars.

The Black-on-Black Crime Coalition, for instance, was created in Little Rock in response to increased black-on-black violence. As of August 6, 2003, the Coalition reports 30 homicides had been committed in Little Rock alone, 47 percent of which were committed by blacks against blacks.

As Americans, we like to hear that we rank first in the world. But, our nation’s status as the world’s leading incarcerator should not boost the ego nor warm the heart of any patriotic citizen. Rather, it should compel us to pursue aggressive reforms.

The short answer to how we stem the tide of criminal recidivism is to stop it before it starts. Perhaps that may sound a bit too simplistic. But it brings to view a couple of flaws in our reasoning.