- Michelle 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)
Michelle Alexander believes that the amount of people sent to jail in the U.S is deeply wrong. The reason she feels this way is because she believes this was all a plan by the government used to get rid poor black communities with the use of “War of drugs” campaign. She states,”The timing of the crack crisis helped to fuel conspiracy theories and general speculation in poor black communities that the War on Drugs was part of a genocidal plan by the government to destroy black people in the United States”. Michelle also mentions that since War of drugs was used the population of black people in jail has increased significantly.”The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid”. I agree with Michelle because the use of this campaign is more like of a trap or excuse to put people in jail when in reality its more of a set up. The reason I say its a set up is because she says, ” From the outset, stories circulated on the street that crack and other drugs were being brought into black neighborhoods by the CIA.” Although the CIA never actually admitted to purposely do it to target this group of people Michelle Alexander has great reasons for believing that and I agree with her.
2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?
The reason that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes” is because people of color are the ones who get target the most and have to do more time over something that every race or group of people does too. For example the text says, ” In Washington , D.C., our nations capital it is estimated that three out of of four young black men can expect to serve time in prison. Similar rates of incarceration can be found in black communities across America.” Many times it’s for unfair reasons or things that aren’t suppose to be punished that bad. Another statement made in the text was “These stark racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime.” It also mentions how studies have shown that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates. Therefore a specific group shouldnt be paying more for a crime when its done by different races as well.
3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?
“the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” What I belive that this phrase means is that once commiting a crime and being punished for it restricts you from doing many other things later on in your social life. An example from the article is ” And in major cities wracked by the drug war , as many as 80 percent of young African American men now have criminal records and are thus subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives. These young men are part of a growing undercaste permanently locked up and locked out of mainstream society.”
