Incarceration of African American Males Essay

Introduction The trend of African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 has seen a dramatic increase of incarceration. Attention has been focusing on areas of housing, education, and healthcare but the most prominent problem for African American males is the increase in the incarceration rate. African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 incarceration rate has been thought, by many, to be caused by economic factors such as under employment or unemployment, poor housing, lack of education, and lack of healthcare. Yet, others believe it is due to the imbalance of minorities within the criminal justice system, such as judges, lawyers, and lawmakers. This paper will explore two different outlooks; society has come up with so far, as to why African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29 are increasingly incarcerated. Finally, the information will give awareness to the problems that is faced by African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29. Prevalence – Problem 1 More than 40% of all American prisoners, men and women, are African American men, yet they make up just 13% of the U. S. male population (Roberts, 2004). This statistic does not include those African American men who are in local jails nor does it include those African American men under custodial supervision (Table 2). They enter the state and federal prison system, at the prime of their economic and reproductive lives and yet they exit prison behind both economically and socially. The high rate of incarceration among African Americans has been noted by the interconnection of poor economy, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, absence of a strong black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of combination of these factors. Statistics don’t even give African American males a good chance to stay out of jail. They have a one in four chance of being incarcerated, while Hispanic American males have a one in six chance, and white males only have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. The color of African Americans sets them apart and makes them targetable. Prevalence – Problem 2 There is evidence, in our American Justice System, of structural inequality as seen in the percentages of minorities to the percentage of majorities employed in high ranking positions, within the system. The percentage of United States judges by race are 79% Caucasian, 12% African American, and 2% Hispanics American (Federal Judicial Center, 2012), as for the thousands of lawyers in the United States it is approximate of 3% are African American (National Law Group, 2010-2011), and about 1 in 4 police officers are members of a racial or ethnic minority in 2007 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). An investigation into racial profiling showed that African American and Hispanic American offenders, who often are young unemployed males, are more likely than their white counterparts (Spohn, C. , 2000). Their prison sentences are also typically longer or they receive differential benefits from guideline departures than do similarly situated white offenders (Spohn, C. , 2000). We must acknowledge the problems of racial disparity within the criminal justice system, communicate racial disparity within the criminal justice system with those we who are not informed of the problem, and stay committed to changing racial disparity within our justice system for change to begin. Causes In researching the high rate of incarceration in America it is more likely than not that the increase in African American Males being incarcerated is due to the War on Drugs (Table 1). It is public knowledge that drug crime ranks high among the effects of poverty. These poor neighborhoods not only endure crime they have poor schools, poor food, cramped living areas, and shortage of jobs if any jobs at all. Drugs and drug crime has become regularity in low income communities, arrests of Hispanics made up 55% of cocaine powder offences and 52% of marijuana offenses and 49% involving opiates: African Americans were suspected in 75% of crack cocaine cases; White males were suspected in 41% all methamphetamine cases (Motivans, M. , 2011). Decades of failed public and private remedies for chronic disparities and disadvantages in communities of color invite us to reexamine systems and institutions that provide and restrict opportunity in new ways (Lawrence, K. , 2011). The causes seem to be intertwined being poor equals, equals a poor education, equals lack of employment, and ultimately equals an increased rate of crime. Consequences The causes seem to be intertwined being poor, equals lack of education, which equals lack of employment, which equals increased rate of crime which equals impossibility to join criminal justice system. Also, many of these men are incarcerated while all the other non-incarcerated American young men are finishing school, starting careers, earning seniority at work, marrying and having children thus gaining capital. Even when released from prison, these men return back to their communities with a felony record that will pose extreme problems for them. The incarceration leads the released convict into a lower social class even if they were considered lower class Americans prior to their incarceration; they now are lower in social class standing in most instances. This leads to a poor African American community, perhaps as many as 50% of the male population will have been in prison. These incarcerated African American Males, who are in their prime of life, also are leaving half the families in this community facing such things as poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, violence, absence of a strong black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of combination of these factors. The community ultimately will become poverty stricken, struggling to survive, and ultimately vulnerable to the situation repeating. Solutions – How can this be changed? There are four key aspects to addressing racial disparity, in my opinion: 1. Acknowledge 2. Communication 3. Setback = Strength 4. Commitment Not only is the problem of racial disparity under recognized by society it is not being communicated effectively to make change. Majority groups needs to acknowledge racial disparity and minority groups need to communicate their knowledge regarding racial disparity. As each group majority and minority begins to become share their information with each other and work together for a common solution acknowledging there will be setbacks but with continued commitment systemic change will happen. Conclusion By refusing to tolerate disparate treatment of people of color or anyone within the criminal justice system we empower ourselves and our country. It is time that everyone including our legislators, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges work collectively and courageously to eradicate this negative stigma. Despite, America being known for its equal rights we are living proof that in this era inequality is a factor that cannot be taken lightly. The statistics that are surrounding African American males is astounding. We need to empower African American males with the knowledge that they have a one in four chance of becoming incarcerated. It is also important to know that Hispanic males have a one in six chance, and white males have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. All of these statistics need to be addressed to empower each and every one us. Throughout history we have not seen a change in majority groups (White, Male) and minority groups (Women, anyone that is not White) although we have seen numbers of minorities increasing at a fast pace. Today, however, the election of Barack Obama, not once but twice, may set the new ideal of what an American actually is. As we embrace different cultures and their ethnic backgrounds society will prosper. As society increases their knowledge, in regards to each person’s differences, they will acquire greater strength and prosperity. The only issue, that can occur, will be in the short term empowering others to embrace diversity. When we look beyond short-term, focus will shift to diverse empowerment through embracing the knowledge of our differences thus making us stronger as a society. TABLE 1: BLACK PROPORTION OF DRUG ARRESTS, EXCLUDING MARIJUANA POSSESSION YEAR BLACK % 1999 40. 1 2000 39. 3 2001 39. 1 2002 35. 8 2003 33. 8 2004 33. 1 2005 33. 2 Data calculated from drug arrest figures by race provided by the Uniform Crime Reports division of the FBI TABLE 2: FBI CRIME REPORT Arrests By Race, 2006 [11,249 agencies; 2006 estimated population 216,685,152] Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 10,437,620. 7270214 2924724 130589 112093 100. 0 69. 7 28 1. 3 1. 1 Drug abuse violations 1376192 875101 483886 8198 9607 1000 63. 6 35. 1 0. 6 0. 7 DUI’S 1034651 914226 95260 13484 11681 100 88. 4 9. 2 1. 3 1. 1 Liquor laws 466323 398068 50035 12831 5389 100 85. 4 10. 7 2. 8 1. 2 Drunken-ness 408439 344155 54113 7884 2287 100 84. 3 13. 2 1. 9 0. 6 Dis-orderly conduct 5117264 325991 179733 7606 3934 100 63. 0 34. 7 1. 5 0. 8 (The FBI: Uniform Crime Report, 2010) References Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013, http://bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/index. cfm? ty=tp&tid=71 The FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2010, Table 43, http://www. fbi. gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u. s/2010/crime-in-the-u. s. -2010/tables/table-43 Federal Judicial Center, 2012, Overview of the United States Court System, http://www. fjc. gov/public/pdf. nsf/lookup/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf/$file/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf Lawrence, K. , 2011, Race, Crime, and Punishment: Breaking the Connection in America, http://www. aspeninstitute. org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/Race-Crime-Punishment. pdf Motivans, Mark, 2011, Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/content/pub/pdf/fjs09. pdf National Law Group 2010-2011, http://blacklawyers. net/ Roberts, D. , 2004, Measuring the Social and Moral Cost of Mass Incarceration, in African American Communities, http://www. law. fsu. edu/faculty/2003-2004workshops/roberts. pdf Spohn,C. ,2000, Thirty Years of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process, http://www. justicestudies. com/pubs/livelink3-1. pdf.

GE’s Two Decade Transformation Jack Welch’s Leadership Change Management

Answer 1In April 1981, when Jack Welch became the CEO of GE, US was in recession. There were high interest rates. Strong dollar resulted in country’s highest unemployment rates. In this rapid changing and uncertain environment it was extremely difficult task for him to handle a conglomerate as big as GE and ensure that general confidence among the investors is not lost. His predecessor, Reg Jones, had set the bar extremely high at the company leaving a legacy for Welch to compete with as the new CEO.Also, acquiring new businesses and ensuring that each business unit under the GE umbrella was one of the best in its field was another challenge. Welch was extremely effective in taking over the GE reins. He challenged each to be †better than the best† and planned radical changes across the company. Under his guidance, the company expanded dramatically from 1981 to 2001.He instilled in everyone a culture of innovation and learning, and incorporated measures related to n ew product development, technological leadership, and rates of improvement.He set the standard for each of business to become #1 or #2 or get out of business.Welch categorized business in 3 circles as core, high technology and services and sold off 200 businesses which all together contributed for 25% of sales.Even budgeting process got radically changed and evaluation started against external competition rather internally.Managers that did not fit into or who failed to embrace his strategy were let go. Anything and anyone that didn’t bring value to GE was eliminated.  The most important change he brought in was by eliminating the sector level and reducing the hierarchical levels from 9 to 4.Through downsizing, de-staffing and delayering, Welch modestly increased revenues from $27. 2bn to $29. 2bn.Welch made a varsity team where he wanted managers who were ready to accept change, have a strong commitment towards values and willing to break with old culture and most of all r eady to take lead and bring changes.Answer 2Welch’s objectives:To modify the culture of the company to match the needs of the changing environment and to make sure that each employee embraces the new culture with ease. He created an environment of openness, speed, simplicity and self-confidence.To get the fundamentals right.To create a culture of a small company a place all felt engaged and everyone had voice. A forum where employees could not only speak their minds about how their business might run more effectively but also get immediate response to their ideas and proposals.To increase productivity beyond imagination. He made six sigma a part of the cultureHe focused on locating and developing leadership at all levels of the company. GE employees were being developed, evaluated and compensated based on a demanding evaluation process called â€Å"Session C†.To incentivize stronger work ethics, GE revamped its compensation package by offering more stock options tied d irectly to individual performance for program initiatives. Welch wanted employees to feel valued for their contributions, and highly-compensated for their efforts. Welch based his proposed and implemented changes on proven tactics used by other successful. For eg. Implementation of Six Sigma first stared by Motorola. He realized it was important to develop leaders and break from the conventional to achieve extremely high standards and be at the top, undefeated. So he revolutionized the way GE worked.Answer 3GE defied critics by implementing not just strategies to combat the challenges faced but by implementing a long term sustainable strategy that will be a masterpiece for years to come. Although GE had gone through a major reorganization that contributed to its successes, the changing business climate when Welch took over as CEO required more to be done. Welch realized that overcoming the magnitude of challenges would require unconventional leadership and bold strategies.In times o f uncertainties and recession, the normal course of action for many businesses is to engage in cost cutting strategies, but he believed investments in the right places during hard economic times enables a company to perform better during and after a recession.Right investments at right time: He offloaded all the unprofitable or not so profitable businesses and acquired companies during the slowdown. This was a clever decision since companies can be bought really cheap during recession.GE had acquired firms that enabled it to expand globally and developed global operations that resulted in the company almost doubling its international revenue to $42. 8billionAdapting various strategies which included â€Å"Fix, Sell or Close†. This strategy is an indication that Welch did not adapt cost cutting strategies like many of the companies during that time. Welch ’s goal of making GE lean and agile resulted in de-staffing and reduction of bureaucracy, eliminating layers of hier archical that were bottlenecks to growth.Critics saw the company’s strategy of developing leadership and employee capabilities enhancement as being risky especially in times of uncertainties. However, through the determination of Welch and his team, and the desire for change; the risk paid off contributing to the value of the company. Welch understood that strategy is not about doing things better, but it is about doing things differently through effective decision making and knowing where to compete and how to compete regardless of how radical and risky it may seem to critics.Through the stretch target initiatives, all employees were asked to prove how good they can be by setting and reaching higher goals that were once deemed to be impossible to achieve.Another important value added to the company was the service business, which contributed to 2/3rd of the company’s revenues. With Welch’s leadership GE ventured into new sectors, and did away with ineffective o nes, developed a massive global market that out performed its domestic markets, created a service industry and an E-business.Last but not the least, his introduction of the Six Sigma quality initiatives led to 62% in turnaround time, return of $750million over the investment exceeding expectations along with a forecast of additional returns of $1. 5 billion in 1999. Thus created a large complex diversified conglomerate that continues to defy the critics and grow in performance and profitability.Answer 4According to me Welch set the standard really high for the rest of the world. There was so much to learn from Welch’s leadership. He initiated a change in mindset and was successful in doing it, thanks to his commitment and rock solid attitude. Jack Welch’s mission was to restructure the company in order to become the #1or #2 in the industry. He embraced change, expected his team to do the same, and challenged his team be â€Å"better than the best†. Furthermore t eam members had to have the willingness to take charge, to think outside of the box, and most of all to be team players.Welch fostered open communication and created a culture characterized by â€Å"speed, simplicity, and self -confidence. † Welch never rested on his last success; he continued to innovate and to look for ways to grow the business both internally and externally. He understood that GE’s assets were in fact their people and in turn had to be managed as a company resource. Welch’s unwavering involvement in every facet of the business was essential to all of these directives. Everything Welch did reflected his belief in his people and as he once stated.â€Å"I own the people, you just rent them. † Without a doubt, Jack Welch’s leadership has left a lasting impact on GE and the business world. Welch’s has left a legacy for his successor. The successor will need to establish him/herself and make a name for themselves. This person w ill need to clearly communicate their vision and how they will go about accomplishing those goals. He/she will need to continue to foster open communication in an effort to continue to encourage teamwork. Innovation will be crucial if the company is to thrive under the new leadership.

A Model of Christian Charity Essay

In 1630, John Winthrop led a fleet of 17 ships and a thousand puritans from England to the Massachusetts Bay. With a new place to call home, John Winthrop and the puritans hoped for a fresh start in the new world. The main reason for this new beginning was due to the fact that they had broken apart from England’s Church and had declared to start their own church. They believed that starting a new church was ordained by God and that the Massachusetts Bay area was given to them by God in order to start the Church. With a plan to start a new Church, John Winthrop created, â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity† to help set guidelines. These guidelines were a mix of logic and Biblical teachings that would be used to help start the new Church. Without these guidelines the new Church surely would have not been very successful. Winthrop was essential to the foundation of the new Church, and without him, the Church would have surely failed. John Winthrop’s writing gives a foundation in which the puritans can build the Church. A main point that John Winthrop wrote is that Christians need to start serving the Lord with all of their heart and try to increase the body of Christ. Increasing the body of Christ meaning that the puritans would influence others to trust in Christ and grow the population of Christ followers. The body of Christ means the community of those who follow Christ, and the doctrine that Winthrop wrote told the puritans that they need to profess themselves as followers of Christ. They need to be able to show others the Christ in them. Winthrop says that Christians are bound together by the love of Christ, and that love is unbreakable. Another main point that Winthrop mentions is that they need to go against the crowd, the crowd meaning the English Church. Since the puritans are breaking away from the English Church, then it would be wrong to copy the English Church. That would be too easy, instead they need to do what they feel is right and go against the English Church entirely. These main points of Winthrop’s covenant were vital to the foundation of the new Church. At the end of his covenant, Winthrop discusses what will happen if the puritans were to break the covenant. If the puritans were to break the  covenant then the Lord will strike them down for not keeping the covenant. Winthrop explains that Massachusetts would be a city on a hill in which people would admire and look up to. Not one that breaks the covenant and disobeys God, rather one that praises him. The puritans need to be a beacon of light to the world and show others the way to Christ. After the puritans had landed in Massachusetts, they began the new Church and succeeded in doing so. Later in history, people use Winthrop’s ideas to say that God had chosen the United States as a beacon of democracy and freedom for others to follow, just like people followed the puritans.

Androids History

Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. In June 2012, there were more than 600,000 apps available for Android, and the estimated number of applications downloaded from Google Play was 20 billion. Android became the world’s leading smart phone platform at the end of 2010. For the first quarter of 2012, Android had a 59% smart phone market share worldwide. At the half of 2012, there were 400 million devices activated and 1 million activations per day. Analysts point to the advantage to Android of being a multi-channel, multi-carrier OS. HISTORY: Android, Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, United States in October 2003 by Andy Rubin,Rich Miner Nick Sears and Chris White to develop. Google acquired Android Inc. on August 17, 2005, making Android Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Google. VERSION HISTORY: Android has been updated frequently since the original release of Astro, with each fixing bugs and adding new features. Each version after Astro and Bender is named in alphabetical order. List of Android version code names: ? Android consists of a kernel based on the Linux kernel 2. 6, with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine with just-in-time compilation. The main hardware platform for Android is the ARM architecture

Strategic intelligence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic intelligence - Assignment Example â€Å"Open sources often equal or surpass classified information in monitoring and analyzing such pressing problems as terrorism, proliferation, and counterintelligence† In this sense, OSINT is extremely important for formulation of military plans and government policies The OSINT can be segmented further into various divisions, according to the nature of the sources from which the information is extracted. However many a times officials feel that open source information are too open to be benefited for the secretive nature of military strategy or Governmental policies? OSINT can be related to wide variety of resources like internet, media and public data. The OSINT is the publicly available information which is utilized by American Intelligence Agency and U.S. Department of Defense. Apart from publicly available data, various vendors also supply information to the intelligence agency and government under one name. Generally speaking, OSINT is the easiest way of procuring information from a particular resource. Apart from OSINT, another data collection method which is of primary importance is HUMINT.HUMINT here refers to the human intelligence and information gathered with the assistance of interpersonal connection. This can be acquired with the aid of interview with people, government advisors, accredited diplomats, espionage, Nongovernmental organizations, prisoners or detainees and refugees. Here the information is gathered or collected from interacting with real human beings. However the information collector needs to have accurate knowledge about what needs to be collected in order to make good use of the gathered information. If the information collected is inadequate, there is a chance that there would be loss of energy time and expenditure. Even while collecting information through HUMINT, attention should be given that information collected are genuine. A lack of authenticity in information gathered can result in poor military strategic plans

Its about a introductory, and I have already do the introducing part Essay

Its about a introductory, and I have already do the introducing part. I want you answer the following questions based on the articles and ppt - Essay Example I moved to Eugene to take an Economic major that will arm me with the proper knowledge and skills for my future career. I like the city of Eugene because it offers a convenient, quiet, and a peaceful studying environment. In my spare time, I like doing English-related activities such as listening to English songs, watching English movies, and television programs or attending activities organized by English-speaking students to improve my English skills. I have an interest in technology; thus, the course will be attractive as it includes the use of the same. My cultural identity has Chinese roots advocated in Confucianism since I am a student from Nanchang. Specifically, the Chinese traditional values that influence my perception include core values such as benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, harmony, honesty, filial piety, and reliability (Riggle & Rostosky,  2012). Consequently, these values help my social interactions by promoting humanist association that promotes justices, fairness, collaboration, and compatibility among others. Sexual identity is the way an individual thinks of himself or herself in terms of romantic and sexual attraction. Specifically, this includes the use of terms such as gay or bisexual. Sexual behaviors and sexual orientation have a significant influence on individual sexual identity (Riggle & Rostosky,  2012). Therefore, using these dimensions to express my sexual identity, I am a straight male who has an attraction to the opposite sex and defines my sexual relationships only under the confines of the male-female relationship. Gender identity is the label that an individual feel more comfortable to use when describing him or herself as either male or female. Culture has a higher influence on gender identity as it describes what roles are for men or women and the interaction between the two genders. In addition, it expresses how an individual of a certain gender is to carry him or herself and uphold the gender identity

Analyzing the Relationship between United States and North Korea Research Paper

Analyzing the Relationship between United States and North Korea - Research Paper Example In 1994, after the death of Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong Il assumed the power and continued on with his father’s policies. Their anti-West approach and hatred for the South Korea has led to a very fragile relation with the United States. (Porter) After the supposed end of the Cold War, in 1995 North Korea managed to reach an agreement with United States to build nuclear reactors on their territory. Nevertheless, soon enough North Korea, as being unpredictable and ruthless, showed signs of the same by sending missiles flying right over its neighbor Japan. This was taken as a direct threat to the sovereignty of Japan and posed an immediate threat of any future attack on their soil. A clear indication had been given by North Korea that they were working on the development of their nuclear arms. A turning point occurred in 2002, when President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address labeled North Korea as â€Å"Axis of Evil† along with Iran and Iraq. In the same year US stopped oil shipments to DPKR in protest to their secretive nuclear armament program. Following this, North Korea kicked out international nuclear inspectors from its nuclear plants as a retaliation move. The already shallow relations between the two nations started to soar and worsen. North Korea claimed that they were developing their nuclear program in response to the risk of imminent attack from the US, while at the same time heavily fortified and militarized their border with South Korea. United States does not have any diplomatic relations with North Korea as their imposed trade sanctions on North Korea still exist to this day. Sweden acts on behalf of the US interests in North Korea and helps in facilitating relations between the two countries. (Affairs) In the following year, 2003, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and terminated the freeze on its existing plutonium-based nuclear facilities. They further went on to expel IAEA