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https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/
Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:
a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:
2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…
4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…
b) Respond to two other students’ comments.
Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:
Michelle Alexander raises a number of important and interesting points. Let’s start a discussion centered on the following questions:
1. 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 backup her point. (see p. 1-2)
2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?
3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?
M. Alexander states that “In some states, black men have been admitted to prison on drug charges at rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men”. This is showing that there are definitely racial biased people in power controlling the law and the court systems, thus sending these black men to jail more and giving them harsher sentences. “In less than thirty years, the U.S penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of the increase.The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.” M. Alexander is very well aware of the incarceration issue that the United States is harboring, also aware that it is mainly racially motivated. Racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime because the media is only being lied to by the portrayal of black and brown people making up the drug crime rate percentage. I understand the phrase to mean something like, just because the system is made to look like it serves justice and touches people individually, it still really just targets people based on race.
Hello Anicia, You gave a great response to these questions, I like how you used the quote and explained it by saying, “This is showing that there are definitely racial biased people in power controlling the law and court system”. This is what Alexander’s message was because of racial biased laws we see the highest number of incarcerations in the United States.
Hi anicia, I love how you interpreted many quotes to answer your question and explained them right after using ” this shows ” . I also like how you answered the last question in such a simple and understandable way .
Hi Anicia, great analogy. Its saddening that despite America being one of the wealthiest countries we are still struggling to comprehend bias, racial disparities… to name a few.
Hi Anicia,
I admire your full response. I agree on your last one, the system always makes us think that justice is served when we really know and have experiencing that nothing has changed for the better.
Hi Anicia!
You make good points throughout! One thing to re-check is question 1 (on pages 1-2): she’s basically saying that the mainstream view of why the US has mass incarceration is wrong. What is the mainstream view and how does she answer it?
Hello Anicia, I totally agree with you. They are on the media making lies ups and its honestly sad and sicken. People believe what they are told instead of the changes and what’s really going on in the world. Especially based on the black and brown people they are always seen as the terrible/bad guys which is totally not fair.
Hey Anicia, it’s true there’s definitely racial biased people in power controlling the law, and media doesn’t show the correct information, making it seem as though black/brown people are always in the wrong.
1. M Alexander makes many points to her argument that the reasoning for people getting sent to jail is wrong . She explains that it the government is just zelous enough to frame the black in those neighborhoods in being the criminals because of drug use. it was al about media coverage and one the drug war was declared explain me how crack was spread rapidly to black communities and just over night this put images in heads about back people . M Alexanders knew that it was wrong because the way it was set up to destroy poor black communities and the people by creating stereotypes and making them get looked as nothing .
Hello Sarah, You make a good point about the media sending out negative messages overnight about a particular group. This forms stereotypes for other people that don’t really know what is going on and eventually racism starts.
heyyy sarah, i agree that they frame us black people and make us look like the complete bad guys when in all its everyone in the world using or selling drugs, I agree that they used the media to paint us blacks as the bad guys and to destroy our community and us.
Hey Jasmine, yes! Alexander keeps making that point about black people using drugs are the only ones that seem to be on the media, while everyone else is not really talked about!
Hey Sarah,
I love how you expressed your answer. I agree that M. Alexander makes good points to her argument. She explains that the black communities are always the target and blame them for drug crimes. I believe it is not right and at some point this issue would expand and create a bigger chaos then what is happening today.
Hi Sarah!
Good points, but check also the very beginning of this reading. On pg. 1-2, what is the mainstream view of why so many Americans go to jail? And what is Alexander’s response to that (she disagrees with the mainstream view)?
1. M. Alexander claims these explanations are wrong because many people believe that these crimes are only done by people of color but this is actually a wrong belief. Her argument shows that racial disparities can’t be explained by the crime rates because people of all races are likely to commit these crimes at similar rates. It states, “If there are significant differences in the survey to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color”.
2. They can’t explain racial disparities with rates of drug crimes because studies show that these crimes are not only done by people of color. It states, “studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates”. This shows that Alexander was trying to point out that this isn’t the answer to racial disparities because people of color shouldn’t be labeled with this if other races also partake in illegal crimes. Looking at incarceration only shows you one part of the issue.
3.The way I understand this phrase is that the system has been modified but it hasn’t changed completely in a way that inequalities don’t exist anymore.
Hi kyra , I love the answer to your last question I also believe that it hasn’t completely changed , inequality still exist in this worlds new penal system .
i agree that in the reading it states that white youth are likely to engage in drug crime which proves that it was. set up and they wanna set up black people for failure
hi Kyara, i like how precise your answers are, they are clear and straight to the point
Hey Kyara, I really like your understanding of how the drug crime rates cannot be explained and your interpretation of what the phrase meant to you!
Very nicely organized and clearly written responses to the questions!
M Alexander explains that because of the media coverage the people made it seem like it was the black communitys fault and they where who to blame for the War on drugs. Alexander states “as well as to sentencing policies that greatly exacerbated racial disparities in incarceration rates”. This explains that even though the media coverage was a success to help the war on crack it also mainly put blame on the black community, because of this there where policies that cause many racial problems in jail. Although this is a conspiracy theory ” 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,” this also gos tho explain that maybe this was all started to bring the black community down .To “put them in their place ” is a strong phrase and very wrong. Black community didn’t need to be put in their place but of course the government look at them like they where exactly who to blame and send to jail.
Racial disparities and the rates of incarceration cannot be explain by the rates of drug crimes because “they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.” This shows that Alexander believes you can’t blame the black community only because its states that whites are more likely to be into the drug crime then blacks.It isn’t fair to put the blame on black communities just to “put the back in their place “.
the way I understand this phrase is that the American penal system is a way to control people mostly people of color it has a way to make it seem like its a way to social control but in reality it hasn’t changed much it still views black people as a main target in almost everything. To support my claim it further states ” the primary targets of its control can be defined largely by race.”
Heyyyy, I agree that you cant only blame the black community for the use of drugs, if you are blaming one you have to blame all. Sadly this has been an issue for decades. I like how you answered the last question I agree that to means it meant to control people of color and they made it seem like they were doing something about it but in all the system is used to control us.
Hey! Just to add to what you have written at the start of your comments: the mainstream view seems to suggest that we have mass incarceration because there’s lots of crime in America. So, the mainstream view doesn’t see anything wrong with these numbers, because it assumes there’s a lot of crime in the country. Alexander shows why that view is wrong….
1. M Alexander explains “the view holds that the racial disparities in drug convictions and sentences, as well as the rapid explosion of the prison population, reflect nothing more than the government zealous, but benign, efforts to address rampant drug crime in poor, minority neighborhoods.” Alexander explains the government is framing blacks in the poor community because of the drug use. Alexander than states “given the sensational media coverage of crack in the 1980s and 1990s.” Because of the sensational media coverage people blamed the blacks for the high amount of drug use in the community. The ” after the drug war was declared, crack began to spread rapidly in the black community.” They made it seem like it was the black community fault that the war on drugs existed, painting pictures in the media about black “crack whores,” “crack babies” and “crack dealers.” Alexander knew this was wrong but this was created to tear down the black community.
2. Racial disparities can not be explained by rates of drugs because, she stated “studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates.” Alexander also states ” If there are significant differences in the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.” This shows that not only blacks but whites and other races are using and selling illegal drugs and they just want to pin this on the black community.
3. The saying “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” means to me that the system is used to control the black community, they make it seem like they have it under control when in reality nothing has changed and we are still under control.
I agree with your answer to #3 that tey want to control blacks because they feel like they are nothing so putting drugs into their communities frames them .
Alexander does make a passing reference to the conspiracy theories about how crack-cocaine got introduced in the US, in the 1980s. A lot has been written about on this subject. Wikipedia actually has a good page about this.
Question: 1. 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 backup her point. (see p. 1-2)
Answer: The rhetoric of law and order was solely put into effect because officials believed in segregation and suppressing the black and brown communities. M. Alexander stated that the main objective why so many people were sent to jail in the U.S is deeply wrong and provided factual evidence to support her claim. It was mostly based on racial disparities and not on drug conviction. As mentioned in the excerpt “the War on Drugs was announced in 1982, three years before crack cocaine emerged in the U.S.” Therefore the main reason why so many people were being sent to jail had more to do with racial disparities rather than being convicted of drug posession. It was a premeditated act to not only destroy the black and brown communities but attain social control.
Question: 2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?
Answer: Racial disparities in the rate of the incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drugs” because the was on drugs began at a time when illegal drug use was on a decline. The stark disparities cannot be explained by the rates of drug crimes since studies have showed that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs. A survey also supports that white youths are likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.
Question: 3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?
Answer: In my opinion it means that America use the penal system as a form of social control amount black and brown people. Not only has the country incarceration rate ascent enormously but it is the only country with the highest rate of incarceration in the world and the majority of the inmates are of colors.
Excellent, clearly-written arguments, Renata!
Hello Renata, I agree with you. I love how your arguments were so good to understand and written well.
Hi Jasmine, I like how your answers are well put together. However, for question #3 I would include the country incarceration rate rise enormously with the highest rate of incarceration in the world and the majority of the inmates are of color. 🙂
Hi Jasmine, I like how your answers are well put together. However, for question #3 I would include the country incarceration rate rise enormously with the highest rate of incarceration in the world and the majority of the inmates are of color. ?
Lol I commented under my post instead of yours.
hi jasmine, i love how in question 2 you added a sentence that i completely missed; it is the study that shows that all races use and sell illegal drugs in similar rates. But to this day what continue to confuses us all is why discriminate the colored? where does the need come from to want to overpower a race? in my opinion i believe it revolves around a satisfaction to know their wealth grants a better way of life than those that are poor and struggling
I really like how for #3 you made it clear that although they try to make it seem like things have changed with time, nothing has actually really changed.
Hi Jasmine! I like how you used the word “framing” to show the deliberate racial element in this government policy related to drugs and crime – and that’s precisely one of the main points Alexander is making: mass incarceration is to a large extent political is its origin, it doesn’t really have to do with crime (at least beyond a certain narrow point in the 1980s).
Excellent points on the other two questions as well, you’re capturing the key parts of the arguments Alexander is making.
1) M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the United States today is deeply wrong. However, the examples that have been given assists towards living a more awakened life. In fact, the examples that helped prove this statement true was among the war on drugs. It stated that almost overnight, the media was saturated with images of black “crack whores”, “crack dealers”, and “crack babies.” Thus, by creating this negative implementation, it only paints a picture of lies that will soon be turned to a stereotype for the ignorance of others. As a result, conspiracy theories have emerged to believe the negative impact is purposely being done by the government, but also to whom is providing the substances. Suddenly, soon after the drug war was announced, the use of crack cocaine had spread rapidly across the country. Evidently this had led for the U.S penal population to completely transform from 300,000 drug convictions to 2 million. Although, to whom is mainly targeted are the colored. However, another supportive factor to this issue is how the explosion of the penal population can reflect the government’s zealous, but benign efforts to address rampant drug crime in poor, minority neighborhoods. But rather than conducting assistance, it has ultimately spiraled out of control. Following this, The CIA admitted in 1998 that guerilla armies it actively supported in Nicaragua were smuggling illegal drugs into the United States.
2) To explain why racial disparities in the rates of incarceration can not be explained by rates of drug crimes is by the factors of the unjust world. Part 1 of M. Alexander’s passage states, “If there are significant differences in the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.” However, the underlying truth of the incarcerated is proven that the majority are people of color. Thus, ranging its penal population from upholding 300,000 drug convictions to 2 million. Overall, the author supports this argument by stating the following, “ black men have been admitted to prison on drug charges at rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men.” Thus, i will conclude this response among the standpoint of how 80 percent of young African American men now have criminal records; an abolishment to many bright futures.
3) my personal understanding of the phrase “ the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” is as follows: this racial injustice that many have become accustomed to has ultimately matched the similarities of that of social classes. Referring to the wealthiest having the majority of power. However, if you think about it, it is still true to this day, only formed differently. Previously in history, the over powering control of a vast majority of individuals was slavery. Although because the option is no longer available to control others with this excessive hatred, new methods to feed their obvious anger will try to be found to comfort their acknowledging power. Thus, shining light of there in fact being a system of social control. It is in regards to having one favored race over another. Unfortunately, it is unfair but it does not mean it can be forgotten without it being acknowledged.
Hey Jessica , In question number 2 I noticed that you said “that the underlying truth of the incarcerated is proven that the majority are people of color” I would say that I agree with your response because majority of the people that are incarcerated are people of color.
Hey Jessica I agree with you people will find other ways to have control over another person. Those roots from slavery still remain just have taken over other forms. If it’s not the white man owning the black man, its the rich controlling the poor. It’s in out nature to have control over something. All though we have our rights, the government always finds away to control our freedom.
Jessica, I really like you detailed responses! One thing to check in your answer to question 1: What exactly is the mainstream view, and what is her answer to the mainstream view? (see pg. 1-2).
I agree especially with your statements in the third question, forms of social control and prejudice constantly change and evolve.
According to Michelle Alexander’s argument, she argues that there are a massive amount of prisoner’s that are sentence to life, and most of them are African American people. That being said, she still believes that African american’s still has to endure and suffer racism and discrimination. It is until today, the U.S has a larger impact of incarceration with the black population in the world. Even though the law enforcement started when slavery ended, M. Alexander thought that racial discrimination was still present.
Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration can not be explained by rates of drug crimes due to the fact that not only blacks can participate in such drug crimes but whites also.
‘The american penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history”
In my opinion this means that the penal system would promise something for all to be at peace, in reality nothing has changed and justice is still happening.
Hey Bianka, I agree where you said that discrimination is still present because the U.S has a larger rates of incarceration with the black population in the world which is shocking. In question 3. I see where you say that the penal system would promise peace but in reality nothing has changed. I would also agree with you because the penal system does target the POC and does not provide peace for all.
Hi Bianka! You might want to review your answer to question 1. I keep making that point for everyone, because I want us to get the specific, exact answer in this case – it’s good reading practice. What is the mainstream position, and what is Alexander’s response to that mainstream position (pg. 1-2)?
In the article M. Alexander makes a point where she explains that media coverage and that once the drug war was declared all of “a sudden” crack was spread rapidly to black communities meaning they set these black communities up to fail. What M .Alexander said was that “Almost overnight, the media was saturated with images of black “crack whores,” “crack dealers,” and “crack babies”—images that seemed to confirm the worst negative racial stereotypes about impoverished inner-city residents.” This is wrong and also shows how the media is designed to destroy black people in the United States.
2.Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes because according to the M. Alexander a survey has concluded “people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at the same rates” which does not add up the racial disparities we see in the prison system. She also said that when you enter prisons and jails they’re overflowing with black and brown offenders, in some states black men have been admitted to prison at rate up to 20-50 times compared to a white man” to me this is shocking because white privilege does exists and how the prison system is designed to fail these black men.
3.When I think of this quote “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.” I think that it is trying to tell me that the American penal system emerged from a “social control system unparalleled in world history.” when they say “unparalleled” it refers to the unequal rights to POC in every aspect for example the prison system is an example how it is designed to fail them.The drug war could be another example where on the media said almost overnight there was already photos to crack babies , pictures that showed only black people as the “consumers” of the drug. They target the black community in the media they could’ve put up babies of white people or white people as consumers of the drug.
Hey Gisselle I agree with you about white privilege. I think it does exist and black people are treated unequal in comparison to whites. I’ve seen both sides with the same drug charge however the White man walks a free man while the Black man gets life sentence. It’s sad that our government along side media has drilled these stereotypes into the mindset of Americans and how they’ve become prejudice against blacks and minorities.
Great points, especially on Q. 2 and 3, Gisselle! Review question 1: what is the mainstream view and what is Alexander’s response to that mainstream view? (pg. 1-2)
Hi Gisselle I agree with you. I believe white privilege exists and people fail to realize that. The system still continues to target people of color and put stereotypes on them. Black people get no justice at all and get treated so unfair.
1. In M. Alexander argument she explains how media ignited the stereotypes against the blacks by saturating society with “images of black “crack whores,” “crack dealers,” and “crack babies”—images that seemed to confirm the worst negative racial stereotypes about impoverished inner-city residents.” The CIA brought in the drugs to the black neighborhoods and this fueled conspiracy theories that the drug war was all a genocidal plan by the government to destroy black communities. This attributed to the prejudice belief that most drug dealers are black or brown. Therefore when when you see incarceration rates, there are higher rates of black men that have been admitted to prison on “drug charges at rates of twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men”. A very in just system when “studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates”.
2. Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes” because drugs are not only consumed or sold by people of color. M. Alexander states in her passage “These stark racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime. Studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates.” Drugs do not discriminate and are use and sold by all races and genders. However it if unfortunate that blacks are most targeted for drug charges but surveys show that white youth engage more in drug crimes then people of color. There’s an inaccuracy in the rates of incarceration. Therefore, when you see prison populations, there are more black people incarcerated on drug offense then there are white, twenty to fifty time greater.
3. I understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.” meaning it a very controversial system of justice that is corrupt to maintain power. The government used media to place stereotypes towards the people of color, supplied them with product to later incriminate them, and then permanently lock them up and lock them out of mainstream society. “Sociologists have frequently observed that governments use punishment primarily as a tool of social control.” An unfair system where we can see the racial disparities in the incarceration rates where there are more blacks charged for drug crimes then white folks. We see how though out time the rich have power over the poor and how this all goes back to slaver where the blacks had no freedom. One way or another the government always try to control the blacks and minorities, the big guy running the little man.
Strong points, Stefany! But let’s review Q 1: what is the mainstream answer to the mass incarceration in the US, and what is Alexander response to this view?
I agree especially with your points in the second question, since criminal activity cannot be over-generalized by drug use alone or the ethnic backgrounds of those who commit it.
1. One of the mainstream explanations for why people are sent to jail in the U.S. today that Michelle Alexander argues is incorrect, is the notion that the reason for the War on Drugs during the 80’s was a response to a rise in crack-cocaine usage in densely populated urban centers by minorities, especially impoverished African-Americans. The mainstream explanation also goes further saying that massive incarceration rates are a result of the governments zeal, strict protocols, and the harsh punishments carried out as a result of drug usage. Michelle Alexander argues that the War on Drugs campaigned by President Ronald Reagan began even before the rise of crack-cocaine usage during the 80’s, and coincidentally media coverage of the issue was explicitly towards African-American communities across the United States. Michelle Alexander notes a correlation between the spread of drug use in the United States with the initial first few years of the “War on Drugs” campaign, stating that drug use increased during the campaign. Michelle Alexander also points to the CIA’s admittance to committing covert dealings with paramilitary guerilla armies in Nicaragua who were combating the Socialist government in place there, noting that the CIA directly had a hand in transporting illegal narcotics from Nicaragua to the United States and by extension, impoverished African-American communities.
2. Incarceration rates in the United States based on ethnic lines and racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug related crimes because of the historical track record of the American justice system’s bias and corruption against different groups of people when faced with the same crime. For example, it is known that when faced with an all-white jury or a judge, minority groups such as Latino-Americans and African-Americans typically face harsher punishments than White-Americans who commit the same crime. This fact extends to crimes such as murder or sexually aggravated assault and not only drug related crimes.
3. The phrase “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.” as I understand is an incorrect statement but it is not entirely unwarranted. The phrase itself alongside Michelle Alexanders statements in her book serve to describe the United States that has the highest incarceration population in the world alongside the disproportionate racial makeup in said population. The idea that the social control exhibited by the United States penal system is “unparalleled in world history” simply is not true when you take into account the reasons for incarceration and social control in other countries such as the Peoples Republic of China, who imprison their ethnic minorities like Uyghur Muslims and brainwash them in specially created camps in order for them to conform to the mainstream Chinese ideal. The amount of people incarcerated does not correlate with the reasons as to why they are incarcerated and the social control present. Historically, the Soviet Union committed atrocities and deportations against their vast amount of ethnic groups that makeup their territory notably the Baltic peoples, Ukrainians, Kulaks, Crimean Tatars, etc. as a means of population transfer, forced labor, and social control in the areas where these respective ethnic groups are located. Arguably, the penal systems and social control of the Soviet Union, Peoples Republic of China, and other similar Authoritarian regimes, and the conditions of the respective people subjected, are far worse than what the United States has done historically, and in modern day. Please note however, this does not excuse the actions, the oppressive policies, and prejudice of the United States carried out throughout it’s lifetime
Correction: The Kulak’s aren’t an ethnic group
Hi Yosef,
Yes, your comment on Q1 is right now – most Americans seem to think that mass incarceration is the result of high crime rates in the country, when the actual answer is closely connected to the War on Drugs policies, which make it very easy (at least until recently) to go to jail for behaviors that were simply not criminalized before those laws were passed.
Good points on the rest of your answers as well. I’m guessing Alexander is making the point about the US being #1 in the world in terms of prisoners, to highlight the idea that a democratic government system can also be highly repressive, at least relative to some subset of its citizens – which is of course, still unjustifiable.
She clarifies that it the administration is sufficiently unforgiving to outline the dark in those areas in being the view of medication use. It was about media inclusion and one the medication war was pronounced clarify me how split was spread quickly to dark networks and simply over night this set pictures in heads about back individuals . M Alexanders realized that it wasn’t right in light of the fact that the manner in which it was set up to crush helpless dark networks and the individuals by making generalizations and causing them to get looked as nothing . Because of racial stuff done we have more incarcerations in the U.S.
1. In Alexander’s memoir she explains that the claim of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. is wrong by saying that the drug war was announced before the heroin spread. The article states ” A few years after the drug war was declared, crack began to spread rapidly in the poor black neighborhoods “. The quote shows that low class neighborhoods were set up to suffer the most with the drug war , which resulted in the claim of why so many colored people are sent to jail. Alexander then goes on to say that that “ Almost overnight, the media was saturated with images of black “crack whores,” “crack dealers,” and “crack babies”—images that seemed to confirm the worst negative racial stereotypes”. The media used pictures of colored people in order to send out a message saying that blacks are the main reason for the war.
2. Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration cannot be explained by the rates of drug crimes because the drugs aren’t only consumed/used by colored people. Alexander explains that “Studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates. If there are significant differences in the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color.” Even though black people abuse drugs less than others they are still being targeted by the criminal justice system, and we see proof of this all the time when a man of color is given twenty plus years over a charge that isn’t even worth twenty years.
3. The way that I understand the phrase “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”? is that the system is no longer fair and all they care about is keeping control over others and their societies.
Which is messed up, in the sense that supposedly, the criminal justice system should only apply to people who clearly violate some criminal law – instead, it is being used for a totally other purpose: to control parts of American society literally – and that wasn’t part of its “mission”…
1. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong is because she states that people of color are more wrongfully accused and sent to jail. It was also said that they were to blame for the war on crack. Alexander states “as well as to sentencing policies that greatly exacerbated
racial disparities in incarceration rates”. This helped the media put blame on colored people and the policies that caused racial problems. These policies were to bring down the people of color.
2. The reason that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by the rates of drug crimes” it states that whites/white youth are more likely to engaged in drug crime than people of color. This helps prove what Alexander believes that you can not put blame solely on people of color. This shows that they want to just pin it on the
people of color.
3. The way I understand “The American penal system had emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” is that it mostly targets people of color, mostly blacks. This just shows that nothing has really changed they still want control how the world views people of color.
3. The way I understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history” is that the system still continues to be unfair and unequal towards people of color. Before the penal system was even how it is today people of color were slaves back then and still have to be treated unequal and face crimes even harsher than those who are white to this day. It’s not a fair system and it hasn’t been a fair system in the United States of America. This can also connect to Michelle Alexanders memoir and how she says that ” in some states, black men have been admitted to prison on drug charges at rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men”. That’s a prime example of how unfair the American penal system is towards people of color. Because of that issue it is also the reason why 80 percent of young African American men now have criminal records and are more subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives which is what Michelle Alexander also argues.
1. One of the wrong reasons why so many people were sent to jail is supposedly because of drugs or crack cocaine, but this is not entirely true, since before they waged the war on drugs the rate of people incarcerated was not high, but as they approved the war on drugs these were increasing. Alexander States, “Most people assume the War on Drugs was launched in response to the crisis caused by crack cocaine in inner-city neighborhoods… there is no truth to the notion that the War on Drugs was launched in response to crack cocaine. President Ronald Rea won officially announced the current drug war in 1982, before crack became an issue in the media or a crisis in poor black neighborhoods.” This shows how the reason many African Americans were incarcerated was not because of drugs but rather a plan to put blacks in their place or in short get rid of them.
2. The reason that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration cannot be explained by the rates of drug crimes is because studies not only blame a single race for smoking or selling drugs, but all people regardless of their color. In the following evidence the writer states that “These stark racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime. Studies show that people of all colors use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar ratify there are significant differences in the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color ” (Michelle Alexander, page 7). This shows how racial disparities cannot be explained on the basis of drug crime rates.
3. What I understand by the phrase “the American criminal system has emerged as a system of social control without parallel in world history.” Is that the penal system controls everything at its convenience, they put the rules in their favor, no matter how they affect others, they say that the rules are the same for everyone, when in reality the inequality that exists in the penal system is noticeable. There are no people without knowledge in this century, but apparently those who control the system believe so.
2. Racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes ” because it reflects nothing more than a zealous government, and and its effort to tear down poor minority neighborhoods. It says ” studies have shown that people of all color use and sell illegal drugs at the same rates”. This shows that the racial disparities is not accurate to what we see, and that there is a negative racial stereotype going on towards people of color.
1. M. Alexander claims that many people, especially of color, are sent to jail in the U.S. that falls under discrimination. M. Alexander claims that due to the war on drugs, they started to arrest people of color because of drug use. It went from 300,000 to more than two million with drug convictions and they mainly focused on people of color. She also specified That studies show that all people of color used and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates but yet still choose to target people of color.
2. They can’t show racial differences with rates of drug crimes because Studies show that all people of color use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates. M. Alexander tries to show that they still target people of color even though all colors are committing this crime nearly at the same rate. They mainly want to target people of color to make them look bad. She even say’s “if there are significant differences In the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color” (Alexander pg.7). It’s surprising to hear this but yet our prisons show otherwise.
3. To my understanding, the phrase “the American panel system has emerged as a system of social control unparallel in world history” means that the American panel system has become a corrupted system of social control that is not equal. M. Alexander explained that they were encouraging drugs on poor black communities and presenting it to the media for social control, making them look bad on purpose.