The So-Called Cradle to Prison Pipeline
Acknowledging a broken system
The phrase “Cradle to Prison Pipeline” was coined by the Children’s Defense Fund. It stemmed from an elaborate, in-depth report addressing the cause behind the disproportionate number of African Americans and Latinos in our prison system.
The disproportionate percentage of African Americans and Latinos in our prison system is well-documented. Minorities receive unequal treatment in our criminal justice system, and the reasons are numerous. The cradle to prison pipeline seeks to identify the risk factors that lead to the unequal representation of minorities that are incarcerated.
America has a problem with prisons. We make up approximately 5% of the word’s population, yet account for close to 25% of those in prison. These statistics are firm proof of a broken and ineffective criminal justice system.
What is the cradle to prison pipeline
The cradle to prison pipeline, as the name suggests, starts in infancy. The baby’s place in the pipeline is based primarily on the color of their skin and the socioeconomic status of the parents.
The Children’s Defense Fund has said: “The most dangerous place for a child to try to grow up in America is at the intersection of race and poverty.”…
