1.The primary argument for the high incarceration rates in the US today, according to Michelle Alexander, is incredibly flawed. She argues that it is false—a common misconception—that rising crime rates and increased incarceration are the main causes of mass incarceration. Instead, she claims that the criminal justice system’s institutionalized racism, particularly in the way drug laws are enforced, is the primary culprit. Alexander draws attention to the ways in which the War on Drugs served as an excuse for the growth of law enforcement organizations, the enlargement of police units, and a decline of civil freedoms, especially in communities of color. She draws attention to the fact that the tough-on-crime laws and mandatory minimum sentences passed during this time, such as three-strikes statutes, increased disparities between races in the criminal justice system and extended the cycles of poverty and incarceration.

3.The statement, in my opinion, emphasizes the incredible reach and influence of the American criminal justice system as a social control mechanism, reflecting larger trends of structural injustice and inequality in both the criminal justice system and society at large.