The article states “Observers have referred to the advent of mass imprisonment as “The New Jim Crow” because the devastating racial impact of imprisonment effectively isolates black poor men from economic, social, and civic life (Alexander 2011). However, we cannot forget that the old elements of Jim Crow, particularly racial residential segregation, are also implicated in the mass imprisonment phenomenon. Yet, as Peterson and Krivo write, “societal processes that lead to differences in structural conditions have been treated as outside of criminological concerns” (2010, 7)”. Michelle Alexander an African American, author of The New Jim Crow law book whose specialty, are racial profiling, racism in the United States and race in the United Sates …show more content…
Being excluded from within the economy, cause a lot of self-esteem damage on the individual they, then starts to experience isolation, because of their criminal pass which gives them a stigma for life. Also being invisible within society not being able to get a job after criminal background check is done caused one to end up in poverty and cant provide for their family. Being an ex convict, trying to live an honest life and still struggling to make ends meet can lead to a relapse, which makes them go back to do the same thing to provide because they have no other means period. Race, however was the core part within the book, both Blacks and whites were used to show the differences in leniency being shown for them especially in the Mass Incarceration system, For example, Alexander explain that “ Human Rights Watch reported in 2000 that, in seven states, African American constitute 80 to 90 percent of all drugs offenders sent to …show more content…
Its lesson members from a certain ethnic group and criminal back ground chances of getting jobs that require energy, dedication and industry. As stated earlier being treated as such makes a criminal actually believe that they are not worthy of being treated as a human, so they relapse and go and do what is expected of them, seeing that they have nothing positive to look forward to. Social construction also plays a major part in stigmas especially in society because of the way people present themselves vs. other people which is shaped by our interactions with each other, also our life experiences. What we were raised to believe affect how we show case ourselves, how we perceive others, and how others perceive us, are shown by our beliefs and
This film demonstrated how there is vicious cycle that minorities are put into. The racism and injustice, of politics and the big image design of America. This film is named after the amendment which outlawed slavery, but left a significant loophole when it came to criminal convictions; a clear business in profits. I recommend everyone of all races and ethnicities to watch this. It is very new and shown on Netflix. It connects to this course, along with the movie “Boyz n the Hood” and Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, Criminology book in race and crime; “supports the argument that there are more African Americans in the criminal justice system because of bias operates” and also “the argument that racial disparities in official statistics reflect an actual difference in criminal behavior”(Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, 2013. P. 54). We see the connections of how the criminal justice system works in society and is connected through social factors of those disadvantaged and once labeled as a deviant, always a
Michelle Alexander in her book "The New Jim Crow" argues that Mass Incarceration is similar to Jim Crow; Alexander believes that caste systems such as Jim Crow and slavery are similar to the existing system of mass incarceration. In addition, Alexander accuses the U.S. criminal justice system, implying their laws undividedly target African Americans through the War on Drugs and racial limitation. In comparing mass incarceration with Jim Crow, Alexander points to compelling parallels regarding political disenfranchisement, legalized discrimination, and symbolic production of a race. Alexander, moreover, effectively offers a rebuttal to the counterargument that the New Jim Crow does not carry the same level of racial hostility as the Old Jim
Since I am a minority I was already a bit accustomed with the inequalities or wrongdoings that occur to those of a minority group. Before reading this book I used to think that those who commit crime or engage in delinquent behavior are considered “lazy people” or people who just want “the easy way out;” or maybe they just weren’t trying hard enough to attain that “American Dream”. After reading Victor Rios’s book I realized how much the system has an impact on your future depending on where you come from. Right in the beginning Victor Rios mentions the “youth control complex.” The youth control complex is this idea that the system criminalizes young people for acting in everyday behaviors. (2011; pg.xiv). They are criminalized through schools, families, police officers, probation officers, community centers, the media, businesses, and other institutions. (2011; pg.xiv). These institutions are supposed to be
He believes that because of what past generations have endured and the lack of freedom that was given to blacks, they were not provided the same rights and were looked at as inferior human beings. Social matters, such as mass incarceration of blacks and the idea that black people are criminals, stem from the disparity between races as explained by Coates who emphasizes, “blacks who could not find work were labeled vagrants and sent to jail, where they were leased as labor to the very people who had once enslaved them” (Coates). The situation did not change even when they were freed from enslavement as blacks were not able to live the same as the white people. This reinforced blacks being inferior as they were not given the same opportunities as white people had. To this day, many black men looking for jobs struggle with the same disadvantages that existed years ago. They are targeted by the criminal justice system, and once they have a criminal history, it is hard for them to find jobs. Unfortunately, even with a clean record it is still difficult for black men to find jobs since, “the job market in America regards black men who have never been criminals as though they were” (Coates). Coates draws parallels between incarceration and slavery, but also provides explanation as to why minorities find themselves with certain unequal and employment
The work by Victor M. Rios entitled Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness depict ways in which policing and incarceration affect inequalities that exist in society. In this body of work I will draw on specific examples from the works of Victor M. Rios and Michelle Alexander to fulfill the tasks of this project. Over the course of the semester and by means of supplemental readings, a few key points are highlighted: how race and gender inequalities correlate to policing and incarceration, how laws marginalize specific groups, and lastly how policing and incarceration perpetuate the very inequalities that exist within American society.
The over-representation of black people in the UK prison population became an issue which needs to be addressed. The prison statistics shows that black people are over-represented and by analysing their population in the UK and a prison statistics it can be noticed that their number increases massively comparing to white and Asian people. The statistics focuses on adult male population, but by considering women and young black people, the evidences show that across all levels black people are over-represented. However, black people are not over-represented only in prison statistics, police practices shows that they are a main target for their actions such as stop and search under section 60 or when fighting in “war on drugs” even that their drug usage is lower than white people. Matthews (2009) and Sampson (1987) provide evidences that one of the reasons for over-representation is institutional racism within Criminal Justice system, police service as well as areas such as Council, education and housing. Newburn (2013) presents that there are specific crimes for which black people are more likely to commit as well as black people are less likely to plead guilty, including that often they leave in inner city cause that judges in those locations are more likely to give “heavier” sentences (Newburn 2013). Furthermore, turning point is given by Wacquant (2001) and his idea of hyperghettoization, he looks at the massive privatisation of prison and provide evidences that the prisons are turning into “ghettos” to keep uneducated, unskilled young black offenders in one place (Wacquant, 2001).
The majority of our prison population is made up of African Americans of low social and economic classes, who come from low income houses and have low levels of education. The chapter also discusses the amount of money the United States loses yearly due to white collar crime as compared to the cost of violent crime. Another main point was the factors that make it more likely for a poor person to be incarcerated, such as the difficulty they would have in accessing adequate legal counsel and their inability to pay bail. This chapter addresses the inequality of sentencing in regards to race, it supplies us with NCVS data that shows less than one-fourth of assailants are perceived as black even though they are arrested at a much higher rate. In addition to African Americans being more likely to be charged with a crime, they are also more likely to receive harsher punishments for the same crimes- which can be seen in the crack/cocaine disparities. These harsher punishments are also shown in the higher rates of African Americans sentenced to
Today, more African American adults are under correctional control than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began (Alexander 180). Throughout history, there have been multiple racial caste systems in the United States. In her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander defines a “racial caste” as “a racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom” (12). Alexander argues that both Jim Crow and slavery functioned as racial caste systems, and that our current system of mass incarceration functions as a similar caste system, which she labels “The New Jim Crow”. There is now a silent Jim Crow in our nation. Mass incarceration today serves the same function as did slavery before the Civil War and Jim Crow laws after the Civil War - to uphold a racial caste system.
Throughout the semester, we have discussed many different issues that are currently prevalent in the United States, specifically those related to racial discrimination. One specific issue that I have developed interest and research in is that of institutionalized racism, specifically in the form of mass incarceration, and what kinds of effects mass incarceration has on a community. In this paper, I will briefly examine a range of issues surrounding the mass incarceration of black and Latino males, the development of a racial undercaste because of rising incarceration rates, women and children’s involvement and roles they attain in the era of mass incarceration, and the economic importance that the prison system has due to its development.
Nationwide, blacks are incarcerated at 8.2 times the rate of whites (Human Rights Watch, 2000).” This difference in proportionality does not necessarily involve direct discrimination; it can be explained by a number of combined factors. Correctional agencies do not control the number of minorities who enter their facilities. Therefore, the disparity must come from decisions made earlier in the criminal justice process. Law enforcement, court pre-sentencing policies and procedures, and sentencing all have a direct effect on the overrepresentation of minorities in the correctional population.
I think for the most part Forman agreed with Alexander and other “new Jim crow” writers point of view. All he was saying is that the debate should be holistic rather than being narrowed down to African Americans even though, and no doubt African Americans are disproportionately affected. Alexander’s point on Affirmative action and colorblindness is a strong one that despite these mantra being sung by the human right groups, a lot more people are still not provided with opportunities for growth and development. It may not be much but there are certainly positive impacts of affirmative action in the society. One of such examples of affirmative action is Davis, Viola, at the just concluded Emmy awards that began her speech by saying “the only
Jim Crow laws were laws created to strengthen racism and segregation. It was a white person’s desperate attempt to maintain a sort of superiority over black people. Nowadays it might seem impossible for laws promoting racism and segregation to exist, but they do. Concealed by inconspicuous phrasing there are still laws to this day that allow blacks and other minorities to be taken advantage of solely based on their race. The book written by Michelle Alexander titled The New Jim Crow outlines the major problems associated with the American judicial system, mainly the War on Drugs. Alexander brings to light many issues that primarily affect blacks and other minorities from this she derives that America has a new set of Jim Crow Laws. Given the
People carry the stigma of being criminals for their entire lives. Michelle Alexander, the writer of The New Jim Crow, describes the challenges criminals face after being released from prison. In the beginning of chapter four, she argues that they were treated cruelly by society, comparing them to freed slaves during the era of emancipation. Alexander effectively makes emotional appeals, logical moves, and convincing citations to add the credibility of her argument. Moreover, she organizes the passage through connected timelines and comparisons, successfully proving that criminals today encounter tough and biased treatment from the society.
Many would argue that the reason why the incarceration rate for African Americans is sustainably higher compared to white American is because of economic situations, and because of past arrest patterns. While it is true that the economic opportunity someone has will affect their decisions, this argument doesn’t fully explain the real reason of why the rates are higher. To fully understand the reason why one must look back on America’s history and how African Americans were treated. The past arrest patterns do not explain why the gap continues to increase, however it is clear that the past arrest patterns is more an indicator of institutional racism that exists in this country. One study found that African Americans believe the reason for the high incarceration rates is becau...
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is a book by Michelle Alexander, a civil rights litigator and legal scholar. The book discusses race-related issues specific to African-American males and mass incarceration in the United States. Michelle Alexander (2010) argues that despite the old Jim Crow is death, does not necessarily means the end of racial caste (p.21). In her book “The New Jim Crow”, Alexander describes a set of practices and social discourses that serve to maintain African American people controlled by institutions. In this book her analyses is centered in examining the mass incarceration phenomenon in recent years. Comparing Jim Crow with mass incarceration she points out that mass incarceration is a network of laws, policies, customs and institutions that works together –almost invisible– to ensure the subordinate status of a group defined by race, African American (p. 178 -190).