In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that modern mass incarceration of African Americans is a new system based on the same principles as slavery and the original Jim Crow laws. Alexander also argues this new form of legal segregation is as degrading socially to African Americans as the original Jim Crow laws. Mass incarceration is just another in the line of legal segregation implemented in order to remove the undesirables from white society so white society can have their American dream. The discrimination in the legal system and the removal of basic freedoms following incarceration are indeed no better than the original Jim Crow laws. Alexander gives a plethora of facts to prove the discrimination present in today 's legal
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After incarceration, individuals are removed from the respected class of society and are segregated socially and legally. Incrimination takes away many basic freedoms and labels them as undesirables, felons, convicts, delinquents, lawbreakers. We are taught from a young age that convicts are evil and bad and we should hate them. There are legal sanctions as well that allow for the segregation of convicts such as denial for housing. Alexander examines this topic closely with cases such as that of a forty one year old African American mother who was denied housing because of a single arrest that occurred four years prior to her application. Employment of convicts is yet another struggle they face. Employers are highly unlikely to provide jobs to convicts. Ninety percent of employers say they are willing to provide jobs to welfare recipients compared to forty percent of employers who would consider employing a convict. Felons are also labeled as owing a debt to society with the inability to pay off debts after jail. Felons also lose the very most basic freedom granted to all Americans, the right to vote. No other country in the world denies the right to vote to freed felons like America does. Criminals are shunned from society and are oppressed to the point of losing basic abilities and freedoms. This social system of oppressing …show more content…
Alexander states that both systems are structured to lock those caught in the system into a subordinate position. Both systems allow for racial profiling, unfair conviction in prison sentences, and undesirables in both systems face a wall making it incredibly difficult to enter society. Mass incarceration has been normalized and young black men are now more likely to go to jail than college. The system was created by white elitists trying to gain power by oppressing those below them, never wanting to be at the bottom of the totem pole in American society. African Americans today face the same hardships that their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers faced in this new iteration of Jim Crow laws. Mass incarceration of African Americans today follows Jim Crow laws, which follow Segregation, which follows
After incarceration, individuals are removed from the respected class of society and are segregated socially and legally. Incrimination takes away many basic freedoms and labels them as undesirables, felons, convicts, delinquents, lawbreakers. We are taught from a young age that convicts are evil and bad and we should hate them. There are legal sanctions as well that allow for the segregation of convicts such as denial for housing. Alexander examines this topic closely with cases such as that of a forty one year old African American mother who was denied housing because of a single arrest that occurred four years prior to her application. Employment of convicts is yet another struggle they face. Employers are highly unlikely to provide jobs to convicts. Ninety percent of employers say they are willing to provide jobs to welfare recipients compared to forty percent of employers who would consider employing a convict. Felons are also labeled as owing a debt to society with the inability to pay off debts after jail. Felons also lose the very most basic freedom granted to all Americans, the right to vote. No other country in the world denies the right to vote to freed felons like America does. Criminals are shunned from society and are oppressed to the point of losing basic abilities and freedoms. This social system of oppressing …show more content…
Alexander states that both systems are structured to lock those caught in the system into a subordinate position. Both systems allow for racial profiling, unfair conviction in prison sentences, and undesirables in both systems face a wall making it incredibly difficult to enter society. Mass incarceration has been normalized and young black men are now more likely to go to jail than college. The system was created by white elitists trying to gain power by oppressing those below them, never wanting to be at the bottom of the totem pole in American society. African Americans today face the same hardships that their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers faced in this new iteration of Jim Crow laws. Mass incarceration of African Americans today follows Jim Crow laws, which follow Segregation, which follows