Structural violence is a sinister system that acts as an invisible shackle foisted upon individuals. Yet its true nefarious nature is hidden under the sheen of governance giving the whole structure legitimacy. In actuality, the system perpetuates inequality in society. Nowhere is this more evident than for prisoners in the United States (US) industrial prison complex. To have a criminal record is to be permanently branded with a Black mark of shame. However, even for those not incarcerated in the prison system the impact of structural violence still rings true in terms of health and lifetime opportunities. In the end society, as always, caters to upper strata and those less fortunate are left to deal with the invisible hand of life’s consequences.
In Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow, she describes in detail how the US prison system has lead to the development of an underclass that has been systematically stripped of their rights and their future. With the War on Drugs, Black males have been disproportionally targeted by draconian laws design to crack down on “drug dealers.”[1] In addition to the laws, personal biases embedded in law enforcement have also targetted Blacks. Yet in a new colorblind era, all of these laws and biases avoid mentioning race directly. However, the results are far from colorblind with young Black males composing a significant percentage of an exploding US prison population.
As a criminal, a person loses access to their basic rights and their future employability. They cannot serve on a jury, may lose their right to vote, may lose their driver’s license, may become ineligible for government assistance of any kind, and will be no longer be qualified for certain professional licenses.[2] Worse, their criminal record will show up during any employee background check. In a job market with outrageous requirements for even basic entry-level positions, the prisoner will be left with only the worse jobs, if they even get one. With all these factors stacked against the prisoner is it any wonder that many end up returning to prison as repeat offenders? They can only seek solace in familiar institutions that will at least provide food and shelter.
The basic rebuttal to the difficulties that prisoners have trying to readapt to society is that they are criminals getting punished for their wrongful deeds. This retributive justice approach is popular because it appeals to the old adage, “an eye for an eye.” Unfortunately, in the case of the War on Drugs, retributive justice has been perverted into a monster penalizes small crimes, not in the hopes of exacting punishment on violent offenders, but to cleanse society of its undesirables, specifically certain minorities deemed unfit. Even those who are innocent cannot escape the structural violence imposed upon them.
The incarceration of large swathes of young Black men hurts not only the offenders but the entire race as well. In the present day, Blackness is associated with crime. A casual glance at the newspapers and the television news networks will show the latest round of muggings, robberies, shootings, stabbings, assaults and other violent acts. Almost once per day is the face of the suspect depicted in the news Black, described in the usual attire of baseball caps, jeans, hoodies, and sneakers. The subliminal messaging from these everyday news reports is that Black people commit crimes. Even in the liberal bastion of New York City, this stereotype of Blackness continues. By just being Black, opportunities are lost as society judges you as an unproductive or criminal class as a whole. All of these factors stacked against Blacks contribute to underlying stress that has negative health effects.
The stress induced on Blacks is analogous to the Grace Budrys’ story of cortisol in baboons. Those of lower economic strata suffer from higher rates of cortisol, a stress hormone.[3] This, in turn, causes disease as the body attempts to adapt to the elevated cortisol levels. Structural violence extends beyond socioeconomic lines. Black university students are constantly bombarded by accusations of getting their spot through affirmative action. Successful Black men worry about dressing in casual clothes and being stopped by police for how they look. Black prisoners have an even worse predicament of losing their job, families, and their future while sitting in prison or on parole. The underlying effects of stress can be seen in the health outcomes of Blacks, with an overwhelming number of diseases ranging from heart disease to cancer. Budrys’ Chapter 4 highlights this huge difference in health outcomes for Blacks.[4] They suffer from high rates of cancer, stroke, and heart disease regardless of gender. The effects of structural violence have compiled to work against their health without directly attacking them.
Structural violence imposes its power not by inflicting physical punishment, but by taking away rights and opportunities from the individual. It is in this capacity that it shows its full strength against the destitute as it robs them of even basic life necessities. Structural violence is a death spiral into the abyss of compounding detriments leaving the lower socioeconomic strata in a pit of helplessness. It is not impossible to climb up, but the odds are heavily stacked against them.
No comments:
Post a Comment