What can be done to Address the Incarceration Rate amongst Minorities in this Country?

I don't care if you are a minority or not, how about everyone obey the law and have some respect for authority - that would help a LOT! And it starts with getting MARRIED before you have kids, and then having a MOM & DAD raise their children TOGETHER. I can just about guarantee that the number of "incarcerated minorities" that have not broken the law and have both parents in the home is less than 1%. I don't think the solution is to stop incarcerating them as Barry seems to be suggesting!

It starts in the home. It's not always unfair arrest practices.

Well what answer are you looking for? This is a loaded question with answers that will piss someone off. Me personally on this; you have a for profit prison system (not everywhere) that is set up to want offenders in there. With that, they don't have to work too hard on having their beds filled regardless of skin color. The people in this situation that "pay" for it are the CO's that have to work with extremely bad pay and benefits under tremendous mental and sometimes physical stress. The others are the prisoners themselves. Some prisons aren't rehab facilities and with that in mind, when they do get released, they might as well do an about face and reserve their bed on the spot. They will return. Maybe comparing the return rates of rehab vs. non rehab prisons could give a better picture? Now on the law side, do you honestly want to talk about the injustice that is on the books against minorities in general or do you want to look at the causes of crimes, or do you want to look at the perpetrators and tell them honestly you fucked up and your ass needs to pay? No one goes to jail/prison/ or whatever for doing a crime. They go for getting caught. Now the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime by any skin color. Tighten up weapons laws....nope those haven't worked. They damn sure penalize the legal folks tho! Ok, lets reach out to the communities and do outreach programs, clean up the ghettos, give them better schooling facilities, and then what? I lived in Mayfair Mansions in DC off Minnesota Ave (or gardens depending on time there) and this was done. I also lived on 37th st SE DC. BOTH were the projects. BOTH were ghettos. BOTH were rebuilt with taxpayers money, new schools built or renovated, and you had the civic leaders rolling around talking about a "new age". Ok I lived in both, and I didn't see shit. Sure they painted, plastered, rebuilt, repaved, and made old shit look new. But in the end it STILL was the same OLD SHIT! Why because the attitudes of the people living there hadn't changed. For every one child that had a family working to get out of there (thank God my parents were one of those hard workers), you had ten more chilling asking for more while giving less. You want to talk about recidivism rates talk about changing the mindset. Changing the value system that places a set of Jordans over an education. I remember when they were killing kids off Alabama Ave near Bolling AFB over Starter jackets. I'm very salty to this because it brings up memories some good, but many no so. I knew many VERY intelligent black men and women never make it because of a fucked up mindset. They weren't stupid in the books, they were extremely smart. They were dumber than a box of rocks in what they considered success, and for some that "success" is a long bid. Others is a permanent bid pushing daisies when they could've been enjoying grandkids. I apologize sincerely for my language in my post and if it did offend ANYONE, I ask the admins to take it down immediately. It's just how I feel after being part of this situation and able to see it first hand, not on the news, or in some magazine, but with my own eyes as a child and a man. Looking at families torn apart that knew each other as friends one day and over some BS someone is hurt or dead. Want to worry about something? Worry about changing the mindset. Worry about bringing back personal value of life. Worry about wanting to be a part of something that strengthens you and makes you an example to your peers. I did that when I joined the Army. It hurt to leave them, and when I came home, I knew I'd never be able to hang with them like we used to. I had grown up. They hadn't. Worry about making change, not money change, but change that benefits all, not whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians or whatever, but everyone.