- M. Alexander claims that many people of color are sent to jail unfairly, and her points do make quite a bit sense. One of her points is that “Whites, particularly white youth tend to do more drug crimes than people of color” (p.7). And yet, when looking at our jail system today, people of color double in convictions for drug crimes compared to white people (p. 7). She even described how “The CIA admitted in 1998 that guerilla armies it actively supported in Nicaragua were smuggling illegal drugs into the United States—drugs that were making their way onto the streets of inner-city black neighborhoods” (p.6). Just by these two explanations, it can be seen how the system is showing an unfavorable hand to the black neighborhoods by knowing the issues and ignoring them.
2. Disparities cannot be explained by the rates of drug crimes, due to the fact that “White, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.” (p.7) And yet, it’s widely disproportionate in our jail system.
3. My understanding of the phrase is that our penal system can no longer be seen as one of fairness and honor, as shown by the reading. It is described as one that wants to control our fellow people with favoritism for those of fair skin and that to this day it still discriminates against black communites and minority groups in a show of control.
Nice and succinct explanations. One thing to avoid, as in Q2, try not to base your entire answer on a quote from the reading. Obviously, your answer is correct here, but always try to paraphrase what the author is saying. By putting it in your own words, you understand the material better.
It’s truly sad that unfortunately how our system tends to do everything you just mentioned. Especially, since it’s definitely true how it doesn’t add up how most minorities are incarcerated for drug crimes yet somehow statistic’s show it’s majority white people. And yes also our penal system doesn’t seem to see things for what they are but what society expects it to be. Hopefully, one day we still start to see a change as some people are truly just trying to do better for themselves and yet the system does nothing even give them a fighting chance.