Part II — Boys to Men: The Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys by Kristin Henning

In the ongoing discussions about police brutality we are constantly reminded of the lives that are stripped away from black men and women. In another article from Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment, Kristin Henning reminds us of the lives that are stripped away from black boys and girls.

According to the Sentencing Project, currently one and seven individuals in prison are serving life sentences, many of which were tried as a child (under 17). Furthermore, data painfully reinforces the racial disparities in sentencing. As of 2012, 42.4% of African American/Black children were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (JLWOP), as opposed to White children who are half as likely to receive the same sentence (Sentencing Project). And as of 2020, there are still 27 states that have not banned sentencing children to life, my state of Missouri included.

In my opinion, many individuals take the myopic view and merely see this as a sentencing issue; which is a reason why 23 states have banned JLWOP. But I would also argue that those are the same individuals who often forget to, or don’t care to, ask how did we get here?

As Henning directly puts it, “Black boys are policed like no one else, not even black men.”

It’s convenient for us to point our finger to a singular problem because that would require a singular solution. But this mindset is deeply rooted in our history as a means to justify inaction. Put simply, when we fail to recognize the dignity in each child and their life, it becomes easier to justify their “criminality” as the primary factor of their conditioned state in the criminal justice system.

This mindset has not only damaged the psyche and bodies of children, but the psyche and body of communities as well. For example, Henning tells us that what is “more troubling is the lingering and pervasive influence of the super-predator myth on the psyche of the police and the public.” To recall our memory, the idea of the super-predator dates back hundreds of years before it was coined a name. “Beast” was the term before slavery was an institution. “Criminal” was the term used after slaves had been emancipated. Both terms had the same implications. These labels were coupled with danger, creating distorted perceptions of young black boys appearing older than they actually are. Henning mentions a 2014 study, done by researchers from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that reported police officers mistaking the age of black boys. For instance, black boys 10–13 years old were equated to non-black children ages 14–17. One primary example of this is Tamir Rice, a twelve year old child who was killed by police because he appeared “much older” than twelve and was playing with a toy gun. Implicit bias is what one can name as the fault in this incident. But again, implicit bias is not the only issue.

We have to go beyond and ask, as Hemming does herself, “what do these distorted perceptions mean for young black males?”

Henning continues to explain the circular pattern of the negative relationship between Black individuals and the police. I personally want to touch on one particular observation.

There are many arguments backed by science that explain sentencing a child (or putting them into the criminal justice system at all) to life without the possibility of parole is unfair because a child’s brain is not fully developed until their twenties. Let’s take a moment to dissect that. Our country (the only country in the world, by the way) chooses to punish a 10 year old child — who did not choose to be born into poor conditions, who did not choose to blindly have figure out how to navigate those conditions, who did not choose to be held accountable for not knowing right versus wrong when they have no point of reference for either term — by being sentenced to life and/or death. Yet, at the same time, we hear rallying cries about “pro-life.”

These distorted perceptions are telling black children our country does not treat them with dignity, that they will be held to different standards, inevitably conditioning their psyche and bodies.

It’s another hard pill to swallow, but not a new one. “The reality is,” Henning bluntly states, “that we live in a society that is [still] uniquely afraid of black boys” and girls. And that fear is causing us to waste lives by prohibiting the hopeful, loving and successful futures of black men and women.