Alexander claims the caste system allows segregation to exist. The caste system is set up as slavery, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration. The author feels the black men are imprisoned because of continuing discrimination, poor city life, increased police force, and heavy education of the American people on the drug wars. I agree with Alexander’s perception of the caste system, because in particular African American men are discriminated against. I believe they grow up in tough cities and lack opportunities that whites have.
Within the criminal justice system, people of color are imprisoned disproportionately due to racist laws, are denied access to the rehabilitative options given to Whites, and are harassed and mistreated by U.S. agencies. Although people of color commit most crimes at the same rate as Whites, the unequal targeting and treatment of people of color throughout the criminal justice system from arrest to sentencing results in the disproportionate imprisonment of people of color. The criminal justice system has driven a wedge between black men and society. African American men are involved in the criminal justice system, whether though incarceration, probation, or parole, at near epidemic levels. At the same time, the criminal justice system has encouraged and persisted in racial and discriminatory actions continuing the emancipation of blacks from society.
Attorneys, police officers, judges, etc.) or the socioeconomic disadvantages faced by African Americans. I believe biases amongst law enforcement officials and socioeconomic disadvantages play a role in the overpopulation of African Americans in prison. Although many factors contribute to the overpopulation of African Americans in prison, my proposal will focus on four main points. The focus points of this paper will include racial biases in sentencing and arrest, differential association, and poverty (socioeconomic status/single parent homes).
Introduction: In 1999, black men are much more likely to be stopped and searched by six percent than Asian and White men. The Macpherson inquiry report generated institutional racism after the death of a young black man named Stephen Lawrence. There are disproportionately large number of crimes committed by young black men, according to police records that leads to inequalities (Parliament u.k., n.d.). In the light of, policy makers tried their best to ameliorate the racism problem and to prosecute racist offenders (Phillips, 2007). However, the implications of institutional racism affect black men and remains prevalent up to these days based on statistic records.
There is discernment against the African Americans towards different privileges which are essential to their lives. This discrimination is political as leaders steer operations that are aimed at racially discriminating people from particular groups of race. There are more black Americans who are under correctional control, on parole or probation and in jail or in prison than they were enslaved in the 19th century. Now there ... ... middle of paper ... ...misinterpreted the whole problem of mass incarceration by repackaging and augmenting the existing social justice. The critiques have argued that Alexander created a strained similarity to the unique Jim Crow laws, employed a counter revolutionary conceptual framework and marginalized brown and black voices in favor of less radical and more mainstream perceptions.
The laws were too tough. I am not saying that drug abuse is a good thing, but many black youths were dealing because it is maybe the only way that they think they can get out of their current poverty (Jarecki, 2012). Many white youths are engaging in drug use as well but the main drug enforcement is targeting black neighborhoods (Jarecki, 2012). Then the amount of black youths in jail is staggering. I was blown away with the fact that there are more black people in jail than there were slaves prior to the Civil War (Jarecki, 2012).
Instead of being racist, America uses its criminal justice system to label people of color "criminals.” While some races use drugs at similar rates, there is still a disparity in jails: they are mostly filled with people of color. The New Jim Crow makes it possible that the African Americans labeled as criminals lose basic rights, and consequentially, the whites maintain superiority over the blacks. Outside of prison, free prisone... ... middle of paper ... ...under the weight of logical fallacies and lack of research. In conclusion, Michelle Alexander depicts the grim reality for many young African American men in the era of mass incarceration and exposes the truth of racial injustice in the system of mass incarceration. She reveals how race plays an important role in the American Justice System and mass incarceration.
Why would this young man commit such a terrible and seemingly racist crime? Most would agree that it was his time spent in prison that led William King to take the life of James Byrd Jr. Friends and family of William stated that he was a pleasant before he went to prison for burglary. When he was released, he was a different person who spoke about white supremacy and was anxious to initiate his own supremacist gang. King’s defense attorney explained that it was the high rate of violence in the Texas correctional institute that caused him to become a gang member for a sense of security. William's defense attorney argued that he was merely a victim of the deteriorating prison system in this country (Racism, tolerance, and perfected redemption: A rhetorical critique of the dragging trial, Larry A. Williamson, 2009).
Many Americans pretend that the days of racism are far behind; however it is clear that institutional racism still exists in this country. One way of viewing this institutional racism is looking at our nation’s prison system and how the incarceration rates are skewed towards African American men. The reasons for the incarceration rate disparity are argued and different between races, but history points out and starts to show the reason of why the disparity began. Families and children of the incarcerated are adversely affected due to the discrimination as well as the discrimination against African American students and their likelihood of going to prison compared to the white student. African American women are also affected by the discrimination in the incarceration rate.
There were many innocent people that were punished for crimes they did not commit because they could not afford adequate counsel. Being poor and black can become a life or death situation. I believe that both books makes very valid points when it comes to mass incarceration and racial biases. The injustices have become so engrained in the system that many are blind to what is actually going on. More and more black men are becoming incarcerated and this is not because more blacks commit crime, so why then are so many being institutionalized?