- According to Michelle Alexander most people don’t go to prison because they’re dangerous. Instead, she believes the system unfairly targets poor people and people of color, especially for small drug offenses, to keep control over them. Michelle also states that the media played a major role in the success of the mass incarceration of black people. She states ” almost overnight, the media was saturated images of black crack whores, crack dealers, and crack babies…”. This specifically targets one particular race which is people of color.
- In my opinion all races commit crime it just so happens that black people or people of color are being racially targeted and imprisoned more. Not only are people of color being racially targeted but they’re also given a longer sentence for the same crimes as white people.
- American penal system has emerged as a system of social control because its main objective is to create laws that purposely keep a certain race from advancing. People of color get longer sentences than any other race and once someone is in the system it is almost impossible to escape it. Having your name in the system becomes difficult to get a job, pursue an education and even applying for housing.
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Hey! I appreciate your post along with your clear breakdown of everything. As a first-year student, I also found Michelle Alexander’s points eye-opening while starting to learn about mass incarceration and systemic racism. The media gave so much contribution to the influencing of public opinion in the War on Drugs. Their heavy focus, frankly, is shocking particularly in Black communities.
I agree with you that all races commit crimes, but the fact that people of color, especially Black people, are disproportionately targeted and punished more harshly shows how deep racial bias runs within the justice system.