African American Men and the Prison Industrial Complex (Report‪)‬

Introduction African American men--poor and not so poor--have had a tumultuous relationship with the United States Criminal Justice System. This relationship is longstanding (Brunson 2008). In the summer of 2009, prominent Harvard professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr. experienced being handcuffed and arrested as he attempted to enter his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A white female passerby thought his behavior was suspicious, called 911, and the incident brought a national spotlight to this issue of arresting African American men on the basis of a hunch. This practice is what is routinely referred to as racial profiling or in the vernacular of the times--driving while black.