The United States of America consists of 322,291,945 of the total world population of 7,290,547,907 (source: US Census). While consisting of less than five percent of the global population, the United States holds 25% of all prisoners on Earth. One in every 110 American adults is in prison and one in every 35 American adults is in some form of prison system program, including prison, jail, parole, and probation. Since 1978 the prison population has increased by 408%. As of 2014, there are 2,217,000 prisoners in the United States (source: ACLU). Of those, 60% of those imprisoned in federal or state prisons are black adult males while they only make up 30% of the U.S. population. Hispanics make up 15% of the inmate population (source: BJS [legal] & Sentencing Project). Of total U.S. prisoners, minors make up 0.3% of the population who have been wrongly tried as adults despite their underage status. In the case of Antonio Nuñez, who Bryan Stevenson writes in his book Just Mercy, the 14-year-old Mexican-American South Central resident received imprisonment until death for a crime in which he was coerced in. The court ruled Antonio was a superpredator, a danger to society who will not be able to rehabilitate. As a result, the judge sentenced him the be imprisoned until death. Prison is not a place designed for rehabilitation, and for young Antonio’s case, it is a place made to rot. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN LOS ANGELES In the 1990s, Los Angeles was dreaded with gang and drug violence that led to an epidemic of constant war.
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In 1992, the city had its largest death toll in history due to poverty, drugs, and violence. Living in South Central Los Angeles is a hostile environment. Gang violence made the streets of Los Angeles the nation’s most dangerous urban jungle. Urban neighborhoods suffered from violence, drugs, mental and physical health issues and have no recourse to help themselves. Families live in gang territories due to their economic incapacities. They are forced to become involved with gangs due to daily interactions in their daily lives. For the youth, it is especially difficult due to the constant street influences in urban schools. Their involvement in one way or another with gangs is an obligation. Antonio had become victim of it. Antonio grew up in a violent home – his father would beat him and his mother. The beatings his mother took became too frequent and severe for Antonio to withstand from acting in defense of his mother by calling the police. Antonio saw the police as a protective force against the abuse he suffered at home. His mother was not able to attend Antonio due to her severe depression. He was left to raise himself. Outside his violent home, there was no less violence. Neighbors had been frequent victims of stray bullets from street wars. Innocent lives were constantly taken; gun violence became a daily norm. Antonio was a victim of his environment, he was embedded in a violent environment. A month prior to Antonio’s thirteen birthday in September 1999, Antonio was shot three times while riding his bicycle near his home. Antonio’s fourteen-year-old brother, José, came to his aid when the unidentified gang member shot and killed José. Antonio survived with internal injuries. After the incident, Antonio’s mother sent him to live with extended family in Las Vegas. It was agreed that Antonio needed to step away from the dangers of the Los Angeles streets that took his brother’s life. In Las Vegas, Antonio thrived away from the gang culture he was forced to live in. However, a year after …show more content…
It is defined as a youth who commits violent crimes as a result of being raised without morals. Dilulio’s claim began a social fear of developing youth that is violent, especially after various sources of media had brought up the subject. The media that portrayed the superpredator theory was created to illicit culture shock. Retro Report released a documentary, The Superpredator Scare, which discuss that kids, especially emphasizing on colored children, are a danger to society and therefore the superpredators must be incarcerated as they are unable to rehabilitate from their violent behavior. This perpetuated the fear of minority youth, influencing culture, society, and legislation which allowed the increase of treatment of juveniles as adults for the purpose of sentencing and punishment (source: Equal Justice
In 1992, the city had its largest death toll in history due to poverty, drugs, and violence. Living in South Central Los Angeles is a hostile environment. Gang violence made the streets of Los Angeles the nation’s most dangerous urban jungle. Urban neighborhoods suffered from violence, drugs, mental and physical health issues and have no recourse to help themselves. Families live in gang territories due to their economic incapacities. They are forced to become involved with gangs due to daily interactions in their daily lives. For the youth, it is especially difficult due to the constant street influences in urban schools. Their involvement in one way or another with gangs is an obligation. Antonio had become victim of it. Antonio grew up in a violent home – his father would beat him and his mother. The beatings his mother took became too frequent and severe for Antonio to withstand from acting in defense of his mother by calling the police. Antonio saw the police as a protective force against the abuse he suffered at home. His mother was not able to attend Antonio due to her severe depression. He was left to raise himself. Outside his violent home, there was no less violence. Neighbors had been frequent victims of stray bullets from street wars. Innocent lives were constantly taken; gun violence became a daily norm. Antonio was a victim of his environment, he was embedded in a violent environment. A month prior to Antonio’s thirteen birthday in September 1999, Antonio was shot three times while riding his bicycle near his home. Antonio’s fourteen-year-old brother, José, came to his aid when the unidentified gang member shot and killed José. Antonio survived with internal injuries. After the incident, Antonio’s mother sent him to live with extended family in Las Vegas. It was agreed that Antonio needed to step away from the dangers of the Los Angeles streets that took his brother’s life. In Las Vegas, Antonio thrived away from the gang culture he was forced to live in. However, a year after …show more content…
It is defined as a youth who commits violent crimes as a result of being raised without morals. Dilulio’s claim began a social fear of developing youth that is violent, especially after various sources of media had brought up the subject. The media that portrayed the superpredator theory was created to illicit culture shock. Retro Report released a documentary, The Superpredator Scare, which discuss that kids, especially emphasizing on colored children, are a danger to society and therefore the superpredators must be incarcerated as they are unable to rehabilitate from their violent behavior. This perpetuated the fear of minority youth, influencing culture, society, and legislation which allowed the increase of treatment of juveniles as adults for the purpose of sentencing and punishment (source: Equal Justice