Christopher Gattis is a brother, a son, a grandson, a father, and a prisoner. From his cell in a prison in North Carolina, Gattis wrote “In the Mind of a Prisoner” in which he discusses family, fear, inequality, and the effects of the crack epidemic on the youth of Greensboro.
The Legacy of the Crack Epidemic
In the 1980s and 90’s the decay of America’s inner cities were characterized by a so-called “crack epidemic” that was continuously degrading African American and Latinx communities. Heavily influenced by the American media and politicians who were looking for a way to warehouse impoverished communities, the crack epidemic intensified the call for crime control and convinced people across America that getting “tough on crime” could solve the ever growing problem of illicit crack sales and gang activity. Reagan-era reforms added to an already growing police and prison apparatus. In Los Angeles, the epicenter of the epidemic, innercity police departments intensified militarization efforts and increased surveillance on communities of color. As a result, thousands of young people were dragged into the criminal justice system. Between 1982 and 1995 African Americans in the California Department of Corrections system went from 12,470 to 42,296, and Latinx populations increased from 9,006 to 46,080. Nationally, the incarceration rate for African Americans from 1980-1992 more than doubled.
Decades later, the remnants of that psyche still remain. As Christopher Gattis recalls,
“Children grew up watching their fathers and uncles mix up cocaine in the kitchen. By the time they were teenagers, many boys my age had become runners, and lookout boys for drug dealers. So much money was put in their pockets that it drowned out what educators were trying to teach them. Soon, the school dropout rate increased in the black communities. Boys were becoming men “faster,” and their fathers were being carted off to prison or being dumped in the local morgue.”
Although the fear was real for community members, the results of the campaign to replace rehabilitation with punitive prison sentences left communities to ponder, what’s more harmful? The epidemic, or the resulting militarization and targeting of communities? After all, their young people were trapped in a dragnet of racialized police surveillance and eventual imprisonment.
Expanding Mass Incarceration
Mass incarceration is not a new phenomenon. Prisoners like Christopher Gattis have long struggled against perceived crime spikes and the fear that is associated with it.
The crack epidemic, brought to life by images of “crack babies,” and gang activity, disproportionately targeted communities of color. Sentencing laws that instituted the 100:1 ratio sent Black and Latinx men to prison for longer periods of time than their white counterparts. As Gattis remembers, “More time was given out for crack than powder cocaine, meaning, more black men went to prison for longer than white men who could afford the more expensive drugs.” In 1994, Bill Clinton signed The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The Crime Bill helped to fuel mass incarceration by providing funding for prisons, and increasing the number of police officers throughout American cities. Sentencing guidelines upheld the 100:1 law and “Truth in Sentencing” restricted parole. The results were devastating to people of color. The numbers of federally incarcerated people during both the Reagan and George HW Bush years combined totaled less than those incarcerated during Bill Clinton’s years in office. Under Reagan, those federally incarcerated went from 24,363 to 49,928. Under Bush, numbers increased to 80,259. By the end of Clinton’s administration, those federally incarcerated had doubled, reaching 147,126 by the time he left office Fifty-eight percent of those incarcerated were being held for drug offenses. In 2000, 46 percent of both federal and state prisoners were African American, 16 percent were identified as Latinx, while 36 percent were white. Combined, African American and Latinx populations made up more than 3/5ths of all incarcerated people. In comparison to the overall population, Black and Latinx communities were consistently overrepresented while white communities were consistently underrepresented, a trend that continues today.
Mass Incarceration and Families
A 2021 study suggests that the family members of incarcerated people have a life expectancy that is an average of 2.6 years less than the rest of the population. That number increases to 4.6 if you are related to three or more incarcerated individuals. The people that truly suffer, are the children of incarcerated parents. Over 5.7 million children in the United States have had or currently have a parent in the prison system. Currently, over 1.25 million children have a parent that is incarcerated. The physical, mental, and social effects on these children represent a troubling trend that results from mass incarceration. They are more likely to become depressed, and experience trauma as a result of having to “fend for themselves” when they come home to find that a parent has disappeared. They are uprooted from their lives, and many will be placed in the foster care system. They face economic, and emotional instability as the family breadwinner is locked away and visitation while in prison is limited. Moreover, children of prisoners may be more likely to become entangled in the criminal justice system themselves.
In August, 2020, Christopher Gattis’s only son was shot and killed. He explains, “As I was grieving over my son, God reminded me that I must show forgiveness and grace to the person who killed my son, just as my victim’s family has shown me. This was a hard pill to swallow, but it allowed me to swap shoes with the people I hurt many years ago.”
For more information on the legacy of the Crime Bill see: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/3-ways-1994-crime-bill-continues-hurt-communities-color/
For more information on the children of the incarcerated see:
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/hidden-consequences-impact-incarceration-dependent-children
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