Conflict Theory Essay -- Black Man, Minorities, Correctional System

According to Robbins et al (2006), there are various concepts that are important in understanding conflict theory. These concepts include conflict, power, minority, and change. Demico stalling writes and reflects on the various aspects of his life that occurred during his incarceration, release and re incarceration. Throughout Booths book he reflects on why the percentage of Black manpower in prison continues to grow at alarming rates. Through the concepts associated with conflict theory the events leading up to Booths incarceration on both occasions send packing be analyzed.Conflict is a clash or struggle between opposing forces or interests, (Robbins et al, 2006, p.66). Throughout this time in his life Booth had to hold up various clashes and struggles with people and system that he had no control over. The first direct conflict Booth had to experience was with his father. Booth was forced to provide for his jr. siblings because he father and stepmother were drug addict s. Instead of being worried about providing for their family his parents were worried about sustaining their habits. What started as a positive scapegoat for Booth turn out to be a negative one. As Booth (2006) statesThey would give him some crack on credit, and he and my stepmother would lock themselves in their bedroom and tie high. By me being the oldest of my siblings, this especially affected me because I knew what was going on. And since my needs were greater than my younger siblings, I decided to go out and get a job so I could make some money to buy food and clothes for myself and for my brothers and sisters (p.15). Booth continues explaining this conflict by making it clear that in his fathers eyes he providing for his siblings was not a... ...standards and are on the same playing field in all aspects. As Fred McKissack (2008), questions Exactly how offer we be in post-racial America when nearly 40 percent of black children under the age of 5 live at or below th e scantness line? How are we in post-racial America when the level of school segregation for Hispanics is the highest in the forty years and segregation of blacks is back to levels not seen since the late mid-sixties? McKissack (2008) also points out that the employment rate for blacks has been twice that for whites and in 2006, 20.3% percent of blacks were not covered by health insurance, compared to only 10.8 percent of whites. In polish in order to consider itself a post racial society the United States must work on improving things such as education, healthcare, and unemployment for African Americans as well as other minorities.