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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, April 18 Medford police seek new rules to stop sales of stolen goods Struggling to stay on track Central Point considers new fees for parks, school police People in Business Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, April 18 Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm Emergency services Argument over stolen guns led to first shooting, Monica says Monica takes rare opportunity to cross-examine a witness in her double-murder trial Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Education Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Crater dropout says graduating high school would've saved him time and money New Medford middle school would offer Montessori approach Mae Richardson Elementary turns 50 Prepping before 9th grade Environment Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste Sugar Pine Mine co-owner: "Please stop calling the BLM and threatening their personnel" Oath Keepers say they'll defend contested mining claim on BLM land Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek State News Governor Brown says Oregon 'back on track' in State of the State address Ex-Daimler Portland engineer files $2 million discrimination suit Mannix-backed measure targets taxes Oregon committee hears bill preventing child access to guns Water shortage hits riverfront city Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Gloria Ruth Pelett Allsup Tobi Andrews (Sherri M. Wagler) Cynthia Rose Spies Robert Lynn Jolliffe Charles Henry Herman “Hank” Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories North’s Wolfe eclipses own school record at Relays Raiders drop two pitching duels at EOU Manziel issues apology to Browns, fans Phelps fails to qualify for 400 freestyle Ticket mystery surrounds mega fight Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders drop two pitching duels at EOU Beavers ring in new era with spring game Comfort Zone SOU to host meet for first time in five years Oregon recruits leave their options open Pro Sports Manziel issues apology to Browns, fans Ticket mystery surrounds mega fight Merritt sets record, but Spieth surges Foreman turned life around as teen in GP James-led Cavs chase crown Community Sports Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories People in Business Blog: Spring Cleaning: Revisited Since You Asked: Metro Medford rebranding proved economical Zombies join in the horror produced by local game companies Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste Real Estate News Since You Asked: Metro Medford rebranding proved economical Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Agriculture New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Our View: Impeachment should be an option Letters to the Editor, April 17 Michael Gerson: Obama is desperately seeking a legacy Editorials Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Our View: Impeachment should be an option Our View: Gun background check bill is worth passing Our View: Don't expect a fix for I-5 viaduct through Medford anytime soon Our View: Minimum wage boost is no panacea Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 17 Letters to the Editor, April 16 Letters to the Editor, April 15 Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Columns Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Michael Gerson: Obama is desperately seeking a legacy Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Memories of Oklahoma City bombing still fresh 20 years later George Will: Sustainability gone wild Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Lifestyle Latest stories Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained 6 trout to know App Finder: Best Earth Day apps Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Fishing Report: Friday, April 17 Food Tammy Kelly: Soft-shell crab is in season Community blog: Orange-blossom water enhances honey syrup High on flavor, low on calories: Cookbook offers tasty options for people trying to eat healthier Prudence Hilburn: Test-kitchen products become ‘secret’ specialties Community blog: Leave fruits whole for crumbles in a time crunch Home and Garden Carol Link: Tea olive shrubs can be propagated from new growth 12 ways ceiling fans keep you comfortable and save cash Dear Monty: Profiting with adaptive re-use Paul Rogers: Schedule your time wisely Home Help: 3 upgrades to help give your bathroom spa-like panache Health Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Book Notes: A big body is not a bad body Go get physical Community blog: Better Living By Design: A Symposium You Must Not Miss Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Milestones and Achievements Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Five picks for entertainment this week L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art Theater Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director A tale of two plays at OSF Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland OCT stages 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Music Alex de Grassi and Andrew York play SOU Live Music in Local Clubs L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Community Events Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Dining Siam Cafe offers 'mild' to 'very spicy' Thai cuisine Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm ... Monica claims she never acted on murderous thoughts ... Governor Brown says Oregon 'back on track' in State of the State address ... Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm ... Monica claims she never acted on murderous thoughts ... Governor Brown says Oregon 'back on track' in State of the State address ... Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Comment By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now MailTribune.com By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 7:35 AM By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 7:35 AM » Social News This week, Grammy Award winner John Legend announced an initiative, Free America, a movement to bring attention to the ills of mass incarceration. He has scheduled a series of performances at correctional facilities in various states, along with press events, to raise awareness of the far-reaching impact of over-incarceration. “We have a serious problem with incarceration in this country,” Legend said in an interview with The Associated Press. “When you look deeper and look at the reasons we got to this place, we as a society made some choices politically and legislatively, culturally to deal with poverty, deal with mental illness in a certain way and that way usually involves using incarceration.” How serious is the problem? Last year, the New York Times described America’s mass incarceration problem in this way: “Since the early 1970s, the nation’s prison population has quadrupled to 2.2 million, making it the world’s biggest. That is five to 10 times the incarceration rate in other democracies.” Race and poverty often overlap and as a result a growing effort to crack down on crime has overwhelmingly fell on communities of color, and particularly on young black men. According to the Washington Post, minorities constitute 60 percent of the U.S. prison population. Men under the age of 40, the poorly educated, people with mental illness and those dependent on drugs and alcohol are also over-represented. In her book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” Ohio State University associate professor Michelle Alexander wrote that many of the gains of the civil rights movement have been undermined by the mass incarceration of black Americans. She compared the modern criminal justice system to the Jim Crow system of the South that mandated the segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation. Under Jim Crow laws, black Americans were relegated to a subordinate status for nearly a century. Things like literacy tests for voters and laws designed to prevent blacks from serving on juries were commonplace in nearly a dozen Southern states, reported National Public Radio. Alexander wrote that although Jim Crow laws are now off the books, millions of blacks arrested for minor crimes remain marginalized and disfranchised, trapped by a criminal justice system that has branded them as felons and denied them basic rights and opportunities that would allow them to become productive, law-abiding citizens. Today, more than one out of every 100 Americans is behind bars, and the U.S. has the largest prison population in the world, both in terms of the actual number of inmates and as a percentage of the total population. According to the Prison Policy Institute, there are more people locked up in the U.S. than in China. In fact, the U.S. is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners, despite accounting for just 5 percent of the overall global population. With more prisoners comes more cost. Americans are spending $80 billion a year on incarcerating criminals. State spending on corrections increased by more than 400 percent, between 1980 and 2009. Spending at the state level has outpaced budget increases for just about every other function of government, including education, transportation and welfare. Only spending on Medicaid at the state level has grown faster in the last 20 years. Increased incarceration comes at more than just a monetary cost. John Legend is also championing the reduction of some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. “Once you have that tag of a felony on your name, it’s hard for you to do anything,” Legend said. “Getting those reduced to misdemeanors really impacted a lot of lives and we hope to launch more initiatives like that around the country.” Matthew T. Mangino is of counsel with Luxenberg, Garbett, Kelly & George P.C. His book “The Executioner’s Toll, 2010” was released by McFarland Publishing. You can reach him at www.mattmangino.com and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewTMangino. By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now MailTribune.com By Matthew T. 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