1. M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong is because a majority are incarcerated for drug charges. However this only happened after the drug war was launched by former President Ronald Regan. According to the text it wasn’t until “a few years after the drug war was declared,crack began to spread rapidly in the poor black neighborhoods”. The Regan administration then proceeded to use the media to portray the use of crack in poorer communities to fuel the support for the drug war. With this coverage this skyrocketed the convictions for use of the illegal drug, which was actually being smuggled into the U.S. by the CIA.
2. The racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes” because according to the text “people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates.” This goes to show that the differences can not be justified by the charges of drug crimes because even though the ethnic minorities are usually imprisoned, the rates of every color are actually similar.
3. The way I understand the phrase “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” is that it suggests that the American criminal justice system has become a powerful tool for social control, surpassing any other system in history. It plays a significant role in regulating and influencing many aspects of society. It shows the reach of the system, potentially impacting individuals lives beyond their involvement in the criminal justice system. The penal system not only impacts the individual but also employment, housing, education etc. causing a cycle of social disadvantage.

1. M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong. Explain her argument by referring to the various examples she mentions to backup her point. (see p. 1-2) 

According to Michelle Alexander, the main argument for the high rates of incarceration in the United States is seriously flawed. She argues that it is incorrect to link the rise in incarceration to an increase in crime rates alone. Rather, she says that the War on Drugs has been crucial. “The impact of the drug war has been astounding. In less than thirty years, the U.S. penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of the increase.”

2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”? 

Michelle Alexander argues that the incidence of drug crimes alone cannot account for the racial disparities in incarceration. She argues that research has repeatedly demonstrated that drug-related behaviors are practically the same among people of all races. Despite this, drug-related charges disproportionately target and imprison Latinos and African Americans. 

3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”? 

According to Michelle Alexander, the American prison system has the most social control of any system in history. Her viewpoint on how mass imprisonment has turned into an effective weapon for social control, particularly in the context of the War on Drugs, is reflected in this term. She argues that African American and Latino groups are disproportionately singled out by the system and deprived of their rights, creating a endless cycle of marginalization.

1. According to M. Alexander “One in three young African-American men are currently under the control of the criminal justice system, including prison, jail, probation, and/or parole”(p.4). This basically states that majority of black men will experience unjust within the prison system. Unfortunately, mass incarceration is still categorized as a criminal justice issue versus a racial justice or civil rights issue. M. Alexander says “the United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid” (p2).
2. The racial disparities in rates of incarceration cannot be explained because it is proven blacks are given harsher sentences. When, in fact other racial groups in the United States commit the same drug crime. Study shown all people of color use and sell drugs illegally, and that white people are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color. Unfortunately, data shows primarily blacks and minorities.
3. Data has shown within the last 3 to 4 decades the United States prison system has imprisoned more than 2 million people with non-violet drug convictions. Compared to other countries, the United States often given longer incarceration time, especially for Black people and minorities. The prison system is another form of Slavery. United States has painted a picture of Blacks being less than for centuries. The way to control is to get black people off the streets and confined as if it’s a lesson that needs to be taught. Racism still exists.

1. M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong. Explain her argument by referring to the various examples she mentions to backup her point. (see p. 1-2)

M. Alexander claims that the main explanantion of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong due to the target being poor black communities, sent to jail for minor and major crimes. In 1982 as the drug war is being announced, this paved a way for the media to publish images that targeted black people, as stated “…”crack dealers” , “crack babies”– images that seemed to confirm the worst negative racial stereotypes about impoverished inner-city residents.” This increased the numbers of prisoners, mostly towards black and brown people.

2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?

Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes due to people of color just being targeted for drug involvement than white people. It’s not just the “involvment” because most of the charges are just put there as an excuse for their color.

3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?

The way I understand the phrase “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”, is the effects, growth, and control the american penal system and the criminal justice system has on society.

M. Alexander claims the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. is wrong because, the mass incarceration of African Americans in the United States is not primarily a result of rising crime rates or a response to public safety concerns, but rather a deliberate strategy rooted in racial bias and political motives. She talks about things like systematic injustice and structural racism. Alexander has many factors for why racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”. Some examples of factors she uses are, selected law enforcement, sentencing disparities and systemic racism. A person from a different racial background could commit the same crime but are not targeted or even subjected to the same sentencing as a person of color. The phrase, “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” suggests that the American penal system has become an extremely extensive mechanism for regulating power over society.

M Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the US today is deeply wrong. She says it is a system of racial and social control. She states that the world on drugs was a part of the genocidal plan by the government to destroy black people. M Alexander explains that racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime because it shows that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at similar rates and study shows that other races are likely to engage more than Black people. From what I understand, the phrasing that the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history means that the system makes controlled by raised and that we are a target by its control

1. The primary reason for the high rates of incarceration in the United States, according to Michelle Alexander’s book “The New Jim Crow is incorrect. Alexander contends that institutional problems, including racial bias within the criminal justice system are the core cause of mass incarceration rather than blaming it only on individual behavior or crime statistics. Though drug use statistics are equal between racial groupings, she includes a number of examples, including the disproportionate targeting and sentencing of persons of color for drug charges. Alexander also addresses the effects of laws pertaining to mandatory minimum sentences, the War on Drugs, and the development of the prison industrial complex, all of which have aided in the rise in the number of people behind bars.
2. According to Alexander, variations in the prevalence of drug offenses across various racial groups are not responsible for all racial discrepancies in incarceration rates. People of color, especially African Americans are unfairly arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for drug offenses compared to white persons, despite similar rates of drug use and sales across racial lines. The occurrence implies that racial bias in sentencing, policing, and the criminal justice system at large factors that go beyond crime rates play a major part in maintaining these discrepancies.
3. The phrase that “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” means to me that, the criminal justice system in the United States has a role in upholding social order and managing specific populations, especially those that are excluded. This representation emphasizes the wide-ranging effects and reach of mass imprisonment, which maintains current power structures and social injustices in addition to punishing individuals for their criminal activity. It also shows how the criminal justice system is racially biased, disproportionately targeting and excluding communities of color, especially African American and Latino populations.