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 back up her point. (see p. 1-2)

-In her book, Michelle Alexander discusses the United States criminal law system and how it has led to the mass incarceration of individuals, especially people of color. According to Alexander, why so many people are imprisoned is wrong and has nothing to do with the type of crimes they commit. She states that arrests were made on a racial basis. At the same time, campaigns started by the justice system in the United States, such as the War on Drugs, were aimed at reducing and eradicating other races from the country (Alexander, 2010). Studies have shown that the US has the largest prison population in the world, with more than 2 million individuals.

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

-The rate of drug crimes in the United States cannot explain the racial disparities encountered in rising incarceration rates. It can be attributed to the use of drugs and by a particular race, such as black Americans, who are leading the charts in drug crimes. Therefore, due to the unevenness in drug use and trafficking, there seems to have unequal distribution of drug-related convicts from different races.

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

-The current American justice system has been identified as a social control system since it controls the evils and crimes of modernity. The US penal system has emerged as one of the most rigid systems in the world due to its strict laws and policies. It has helped it acquire recognition as a modern system that controls social crimes compared to historical justice systems.