“Felony is the new N-word. They don’t have to call you nigger anymore”(Kilgore). The N-word was a label given to African-Americans to serve as a verbal means of oppression. In similar ways, the word felon is now being used as a means of keeping African Americans out of work, reinforcing negative stereotypes, and perpetuating the white-black class divide. Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, introduced the preceding quote when arguing that mass incarceration is just another form of racial oppression, the modern versions of chattel slavery and the original Jim Crow. The original Jim Crow laws were implemented to marginalize African-Americans, and that is the case of mass incarceration
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The United States has the highest rates of incarceration world wide, with more than 1.5 million of the population behind bars and those under correctional supervision bring that number to 7 million (LA times). While mass incarceration does affect all Americans, incarcerations rates suggest it is racially motivated. African-Americans are six times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, constituting almost half the prison/jail population. There has been a rise of Latino, and Mexican arrest due to policies on immigration. Even though the attention has been shifted to other minority, arrest rates for African-Americans are still the most incarcerated minority. This goes to show how minorities have multiple policies going against them. The rise of Mass population prevents class solidarity among black and whites, with most of the black population incarcerated, Caucasian remain superior in social …show more content…
Jim Crow relates to the present day society since policies as the War on Drugs targets and affect African-Americans more than any other race, the idea that whites are superior and blacks are always subjected to higher scrutiny under the law. The War on Drugs was created to combat the use of drugs, punishing low-level drug dealers and drug users, but in reality African- American were the targets.. The number of black prisoners incarcerated rose 36 percent, while whites only rose 17 percent, with an arrest ratio of 4 to 1(Mitchell). The War on Drugs targets inner city neighborhoods, a social class that is sometimes left with no other means of income. “The decline of legitimate employment opportunities in the inner cities increased incentives to sell drugs”(Graff). These neighborhoods are poverty filled; African-Americans become targets of the policy by default. Even though these African-American males are not violent offenders, they often receive a long-term sentencing comparable to violent offenders. Most of these males start selling drugs, and getting arrested at a young age, which happens to be during secondary and post-secondary education. Being imprisoned, they are deprived of rights, education, and are unable to receive reasonable
The United States has the highest rates of incarceration world wide, with more than 1.5 million of the population behind bars and those under correctional supervision bring that number to 7 million (LA times). While mass incarceration does affect all Americans, incarcerations rates suggest it is racially motivated. African-Americans are six times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, constituting almost half the prison/jail population. There has been a rise of Latino, and Mexican arrest due to policies on immigration. Even though the attention has been shifted to other minority, arrest rates for African-Americans are still the most incarcerated minority. This goes to show how minorities have multiple policies going against them. The rise of Mass population prevents class solidarity among black and whites, with most of the black population incarcerated, Caucasian remain superior in social …show more content…
Jim Crow relates to the present day society since policies as the War on Drugs targets and affect African-Americans more than any other race, the idea that whites are superior and blacks are always subjected to higher scrutiny under the law. The War on Drugs was created to combat the use of drugs, punishing low-level drug dealers and drug users, but in reality African- American were the targets.. The number of black prisoners incarcerated rose 36 percent, while whites only rose 17 percent, with an arrest ratio of 4 to 1(Mitchell). The War on Drugs targets inner city neighborhoods, a social class that is sometimes left with no other means of income. “The decline of legitimate employment opportunities in the inner cities increased incentives to sell drugs”(Graff). These neighborhoods are poverty filled; African-Americans become targets of the policy by default. Even though these African-American males are not violent offenders, they often receive a long-term sentencing comparable to violent offenders. Most of these males start selling drugs, and getting arrested at a young age, which happens to be during secondary and post-secondary education. Being imprisoned, they are deprived of rights, education, and are unable to receive reasonable