Felon Caste Incarceration Stigma: From “Justice” to a Just Quality of Life

Incarceration is a function of civil order pertaining to those who are convicted of a crime as determined by a “justice” system. In the aftermath of incarceration is a stigma that operates much like India’s caste system. Thus, black men in America, like the “untouchable” Dalits of India, suffer long after serving their sentences. For black men in particular who have a history of incarceration, the stigma endures as a lifelong lower “untouchable” caste. Their oppressive quality of life is tantamount to differential racial rates of incarceration, as in the inability to earn over time and a pathological health status. For Dalit untouchables in India, this is a function of cultural tradition. For untouchable black men in America, it is a function of a so-called “justice” system. Thus, the stigma of felon caste incarceration imposed upon black victims must be documented and demonstrated to bring “justice” to their quality of life.