The Mass Incarceration Of Black Men By Michelle Alexander

1. In what sense is Alexander’s book a contribution to nonviolent social change? Through the use of literature to inspire social change, Michelle Alexander is able to bring attention to an extremely important social issue that is very prevalent throughout our country. The issue that Alexander is writing about is the mass incarceration of black males in the United States. She describes this increase of mass incarceration in depth, and relates this modern form of social control back to an old practice of the Jim Crow laws and separate but equal segregation. Prior to studying sociology and public policy, I was very uninformed and oblivious to the injustices that black people were facing in regards to drug charges. These injustices were disguised under President Reagan’s War on Drugs, but were used disproportionately to discriminate against African Americans and label them as felons, thus revoking them of any ability to receive government assistance, find adequate housing, or to be a suitable candidate for many jobs. These forms of social control, while legal, are very reminiscent of the Jim Crow laws that existed post-Reconstruction. Alexander writes, â€Å"I have a specific audience in mind—people who care deeply about racial justice but who, for any number of reasons, do not yet appreciate the magnitude of the crisis faced by communities of color†¦ I am writing this book for people like me—the person I was ten years ago† (p. xiii). By writing to an audience of readers who are notShow MoreRelatedThe New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration1199 Words   |  5 Pagesif someone was able to change others perceptions on the American criminal justice system? Michelle Alexander was able to accomplish that by altering some people s entire perception on the American criminal justice system by focusing on our most pressing civil right issues of our time for some of those who did read her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness. Michelle Alexander stated that The most despised in America is not gays, transgenders, nor even illegal immigrantsRead MoreThe New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration1370 Words   |  6 PagesAmericans. Michelle Alexander, in her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness shatters this dominantly held belief. The New Jim Crow makes a reader profoundly question whether the high rates of incarceration in the United States is an attempt to maintain blacks as an underclass. Michelle Alexander makes the assertion that â€Å"[w]e have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it† using the criminal justice system and colorblind rhetoric. (Alexander 2). TheRead MoreThe New Jim Crow Law1014 Words   |  5 PagesMass incarceration is known as a net of laws, policies, and rules that equates to the American criminal justice system. This series of principles of our legal system works as an entrance to a lifelong position of lower status, with no hope of advancement. Mass incarceration follows those who are released from prison through exclusion and legalized discrimination, hidden within America. The New Jim Crow is a modernized version of the original Jim Crow Laws. It is a modern racial caste system designedRead MoreMichelle Alexander Mass Incarceration1601 Words   |  7 PagesMichelle Alexander  who was born in 1968 is an associate professor of law at  Ohio State University also a civil rights  advocate and a writer. She is a highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar. In recent years, she has taught at a number of universities, including Stanford Law School, where she was an associate professor of law and directed the Civil Rights Clinics. Alexander published the book  The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. In it, she arguesRead MoreThe, Jim Crow And Mass Incarceration1056 Words   |  5 Pages Michelle Alexander writes and speaks about the 3 caste systems slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and mass incarceration. She asserts that racial separation has not gone away but rather morphed into present mass incarceration. Racial segregation has taken a new form and exists in prison systems and in socio-economic ways Caste system locks people up literally virtually. Alexander writes, â€Å"Jim Crow and mass incarceration have similar political origins. As described in chapter 1, both caste systems were bornRead More The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander1182 Words   |  5 PagesThe 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 â€Å"The New Jim Crow†, Alexander describes a set of practices and social discourses that serve toRead MoreThe New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander1313 Words   |  6 Pages The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness examine the Jim Crow practices post slavery and the mass incarceration of African-American. The creation of Jim Crows laws where used as a tool to promote segregation among the minority and white American. Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass takes a look at Jim Crow laws and policies were put into place to block the social progression African-American from the post-slavery to the civilRead MoreThe New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander1316 Words   |  6 Pages The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness examine the Jim Crow practices post slavery and the mass incarceration of African-American. The creation of Jim Crows laws were used as a tool to promote segregation among the minority and white American. Michelle Alexander’s the new Jim Crow Mass takes a look at Jim Crow laws and policies were put into place to block the social progression African-American from the post-slavery to theRead MoreMass Incarceration Is Defined As The Imprisonment Of A Large Amount Of People1439 Words   |  6 PagesAt the simplest level, mass incarceration is defined as the imprisonment of a large amount of people. However, that does not tell the whole story. The majority of people incarcerated are minorities, and although mass incarceration began as a system of unjust racial and social control, today it continues for many political reasons including government grants, swaying voter opinion, and for-prof it prison revenue. The United States incarcerates more people, per capita, than any other nation in theRead MoreQuavyon Green . Professor Irwin . English 1113 . 2/19/2017 .987 Words   |  4 Pages  Ã‚   In The New Jim Crow by  Michelle Alexander is about a shocking statistic. That more African American men  are in  correctional facilities  or on probation than were enslaved in the mid 1800s  before the Civil war started. She offers her perspective on the mass incarceration of African American men  in the US. Taking shots  at all she holds responsible for the  issues.  She explores the social and systematic influence of racial stereotypes and  policies that support  incarceration of minorities. She  explains