Coronavirus: Impacts on Our Community!

What?

There are many key points in this article that strike me as being crucial to understanding the issues we are still facing today related to mass incarceration and problems dealing with mass deportation as well. To start off, Juliet Stumpf said that “the status of an ex-felon strikingly resembles that of an alien” as “criminal offenders [have been] — literally — alienated by limitations upon the right to vote, restricted employment opportunities, and exclusions from welfare benefits” (Hernández 55). This comparison is very true and very upsetting, because unfortunately, once someone is labeled as a “criminal offender”’’ they lose their right to vote, they lose employment opportunities, and are excluded from welfare benefits. This point was very important for me to bring up because it is directly applicable to my family- both immediate family members and distant ones. It makes me angry that the criminal justice system has created a legal framework to strip people of their rights and benefits in this way.

The second key point that I would like to bring up has to do with the fear of deportation that immigrants face in this country. As was mentioned in the article, “Minor criminal violations and everyday legal infractions, ranging from shoplifting to traffic violations, now routinely trigger one of the state’s most consequential sanctions- deportation” (Hernández 55). One of my father’s friends came to the United States by crossing the border illegally over 20 years ago, and he still expresses extreme anxiety and fear about getting pulled over by a police officer, or somehow being questioned about his actions. When my father told me this, I felt sad because I don’t think it’s fair for someone to have to live in a constant state of fear! Hernandez also said that “For unauthorized immigrants, their distance from the Constitution and the formal power of immigration control is compounded by the fear of deportation, which limits their ability to fully exercise their rights as persons and workers in the United States” (Hernández 58). The harsh immigration control and fear associated with deportation is clearly a major problem that immigrants experience on a daily basis, and it affects every aspect of their lives.

What was very interesting to me was the fact that officers of the Border Patrol along the US-Mexico border were hired from local border communities, and they “focused almost exclusively on apprehending and deporting undocumented Mexican workers, when ironically, Mexico’s migrant workers were not categorically prohibited from entering into the United States” (Hernández 58). Although the officers were satisfying more local interests in immigration control, by targeting Mexican immigrants, instead of other groups of people, they “effectively Mexicanized the set of inherently and lawfully unequal social relations” (Hernández 60). As the years went on, many changes happened, and one of the most interesting points that I read about had to do with the terms used to describe immigrants. In November 1956, officers were instructed to “delete the word wetback from their vocabulary,” and to use “criminal alien” or “deportable alien” as replacement terms” (Hernández 62). As a Mexican myself, I find these words to be very hurtful and not appropriate at all. They are very derogatory and look down on my people in a very mean and inhumane way. Not only has the government encouraged the use of derogatory language towards Mexicans, but it has also attacked Chinese workers by referring to them as “lunatics, idiots, convicts, liable to become public charges, and people suffering from contagious diseases” (Hernández 57).

The last key point that I would like to bring up has to do with mass incarceration, which similarly to immigration control, is “a zone of racial inequity” (Hernández 64). It was not shocking to see a statistic that said, “African Americans and Latinos, together, constitute 67 percent of the total state prison population, but the rate of incarceration is significantly higher for the former,” because it is typically what is portrayed on the news and in the media. Unfortunately, I know quite a few family members and friends that fall into these categories and are currently incarcerated. What was very upsetting to me was that, “According to California’s 1872 Penal Code, persons convicted for felonies and sentenced to life in state prison were defined as “civilly dead,” and those convicted and sentenced to any term less than life in state prison lost all civil rights” (Hernández 64). Even if they were falsely accused (like some of my immediate family members), that didn’t matter- they still had all of their civil rights stripped from them. This infuriates me so much because it is not just or fair! In addition to having their rights taken away, if they were ever released from prison, then “federal laws prohibited them from being on or near the premises of public housing and maintained a lifetime ban on welfare benefits for them” (Hernández 64). These bans and exclusions serve as evidence that “the criminal justice system operates as a broad-reaching system of social stratification that holds persons aloft from full citizenship and social belonging” (Hernández 64). This ties into the structural analysis presentations because it involves examining a systemic issue that must be addressed on a much larger scale in order to be effective.

So What?

There are some points that I have highlighted above that relate to structures that impact community members specifically at Next Generation Scholars (NGS). Some of the most pertinent points have to do with immigration and the demographic of students at NGS. As was mentioned in the article, “Today, Latinos, principally Mexicans, make up the largest group of inmates in federal prison and undocumented immigrants” (Hernández 65). This was no surprise at all but it made me wonder what kind of backgrounds these students come from and what systemic issues affect their families. One of the sixth graders had mentioned to me that his family was originally from Mexico and that one of his siblings was born there, but his family had to migrate to Los Angeles (which is where he was born). He didn’t really understand why his family had to move in the first place, but I think that later on, he will better understand the need to move out of Mexico. I can totally relate because I know how economically unstable and dangerous it can be in most parts of Mexico because my mom has told me many stories of how some of our family members have been killed and all the horrible things that they have had to endure. An aspect of myself feels kind of guilty because more than 80% of my family is still in Mexico, living a much harder lifestyle, and here I am with all the privileges and opportunities to pursue a career (something that my family in Mexico does not have the chance to do).

Now What? Find and discuss at least one article about how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting prisons or even recently released people and/or ICE detention centers, and/or communities and people you have been working with at NGS.

I decided to focus on and discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting prisons, the release of inmates, and the effect that the pandemic has had on the NGS community specifically. In an article titled, “A coronavirus outbreak in jails or prisons could turn into a nightmare” by German Lopez, he warns that “the next site of a deadly coronavirus outbreak may not be a cruise ship, conference, or school. It could be one of America’s thousands of jails or prisons.” As news sources continue to encourage social distancing and refraining from interaction with other people as much as possible, these may be precautions that prisoners cannot take due to the fact that they are kept in cells with multiple people, and the hallways and gathering places are often very small and compacted. Not only could there be an outbreak in one of the prisons, but it could be spread to nearby communities via family members/friends that come to visit their relatives in prison. This is such a huge concern, especially in the United States, because of the disproportionate number of people that we have locked up in prison. According to this source, “The US locks up about 2.3 million people on any given day- the highest prison and jail population of any country in the world.”

Some of the suggestions that have been made in order to prevent further spread of the disease include, “releasing inmates- even temporarily- who don’t absolutely need to be there.” And for the ones that cannot be released, stricter rules could be put in place to promote health by practicing good hand hygiene and canceling interactive activities and programs. If actions are not taken soon, then this could lead to a large group of sick prisoners, who will most likely not get the health care that they need. Although some jails and prisons are already taking steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus by banning visits, most jails are not fully prepared at all. Unfortunately, “We don’t have policies around what to do if prisons and jails can’t slow down the spread of a virus in a correctional facility.” Another recommendation is to temporarily release older adults and those who have health conditions, which would put them at a higher risk for penetrating Covid-19. While other countries, such as Iran, have already started to temporarily release some of their inmates, it is undetermined whether the United States will do the same.

As for right now, the most immediate and important action would be to start screening and testing inmates and then start isolating them if they test positive. By doing this, the spread of Covid-19 in jails and prisons would hopefully not become a huge problem. Although these precautions and actions (temporarily releasing inmates) can be a little scary, it is even scarier, in my opinion, to think about what the world would look like if the virus spread throughout the jails and prisons and then into all of the surrounding communities! This is a major concern for all people during this time, so hopefully, actions are taken quickly before the spread gets worse and the situation gets out of control.

Now, I will focus on the effects that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the NGS community members that rely heavily on the services provided by the organization. Although it may not be considered an essential store, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, the services that are provided by NGS are very important to all the receiving members. As was mentioned in my structural analysis presentation, some of the vital resources provided include medical and health support (which helps families find the medical and health support that they need), the food parcel program (that provides 15 families food parcels every week for a total of 525 food parcels a year), and the hot meal program (that guarantees that students have access to a hot meal and healthy snacks daily). We were notified by the administrative staff at NGS that the organization would be closed for a minimum of two weeks, but probably much longer than that. Although schools are currently canceled, and many things are at a standstill, some things remain, such as the need to eat and the need to feel supported during this frightening time. Unfortunately, since the organization is still closed, NGS members do not have access to these resources and are probably struggling a lot more. My heart goes out to all the families who are not able to make money during this time (due to business closures) and the effects that this inherently has on meeting basic needs, such as the need to eat and to pay bills.

Lopez. (2020, March 17). A coronavirus outbreak in jails or prisons could turn into a nightmare. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/17/21181515/coronavirus-covid-19-jails-prisons-mass-incarceration