1-Michelle Alexander argues that the prevailing belief that mass incarceration in the U.S. is primarily a response to rising crime rates is fundamentally flawed. Instead, she argues that the surge in incarceration, particularly among African Americans, is largely the result of deliberate policy choices, notably the War on Drugs. This initiative, launched in the 1980s, led to aggressive policing in urban communities and a dramatic increase in drug-related arrests, despite declining drug usage rates at the time. Alexander posits that this focus disproportionately targeted Black communities, resulting in their overrepresentation in the prison system. She asserts that this system perpetuates a racial caste by labeling people of color as “criminals,” thereby justifying their exclusion from mainstream society through legal discrimination in employment, housing, and voting rights.

2-Michelle Alexander argues that differences in drug crime rates cannot explain racial disparities in incarceration rates. Studies consistently show that Black and white Americans use and sell drugs at similar rates. However, Black individuals are significantly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated for drug offenses. For instance, nationwide, Black men are sent to state prison on drug charges at 13 times the rate of white men. In some states, this disparity is even more pronounced, with Black men admitted to prison on drug charges at rates 20 to 50 times greater than those of white men. This discrepancy suggests that the criminal justice system’s practices, rather than actual drug crime rates, drive the racial disparities in incarceration.

3-To me, this means that the U.S. prison system isn’t just about punishing crime. Instead, it’s being used to control and limit the lives of certain groups, especially Black communities. Michelle Alexander points out that even though people of all races use and sell drugs at similar rates, Black individuals are arrested and incarcerated much more often. Once labeled as criminals, they face many challenges: it’s harder to find jobs, secure housing, or even vote. This system seems designed to keep them in a disadvantaged position, similar to how Jim Crow laws once did.