Summary

1) Rates of drug crimes cannot explain racial disparities in the rates of incarceration because drug use and drug-selling rates are similar between different races. minorities, specifically African Americans, are not proportionately represented in the criminal justice system. racial bias and discriminatory practices in the system are factors that contribute to these disparities.
2)I understand the phrase to mean that the American penal system is special and unprecedented in its level of control over individuals. It gives the idea that the system is highly effective in exerting power and influence over the lives of those who are incarcerated and that this level of control is unlike anything seen before in history.
3)M. Alexander argues that the main explanation for why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong. M. Alexander's argument is based on people she believes have been unfairly prosecuted and treated by the justice system. She believes that the U.S. justice system is only focused on incarceration as a solution to crime, which she thinks is both ineffective and damaging to society. One example is the case of Brock Turner, who was sentenced to only six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Another example is Kalief Browder, who got sentenced to three years in jail for just stealing a backpack, even though he was a high school student who never had committed any other crime before in his life. The last example is the case of Sandra Bland, who was arrested for a traffic violation and then later found dead in her jail cell. These examples show what Alexander sees as a bigger problem with the U.S. justice system which would be the disproportionate punishment of minor crimes, the lack of rehabilitation, and the treatment of minorities as criminals.