Brittany D. Brown Book Critique Dr.

Myers February 2, 2012

This assignment is submitted in partial fulfillment for the American Corrections Day course for Spring 2012.

Abstract In this book critique, Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness will be discussed. Alexander is speaking to individuals that are deeply concerned with racial justice. Essentially, the faces at the bottom of the well as a result of mass incarceration of color people. A war has been declared on are people. War on Drugs reflects people of color at a greater rate in America. Research on the major themes such as marginalization and issues such as African Americans and Latinos being the most incarcerated in prisons and jails are addressed in this paper. Also, solutions believed to fixing the racial caste system in America.

In The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle

Alexander discusses how African American has been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow. In October 1982, President Reagan officially announced his administrations War on Drugs. Though during this time drugs use was of little concern compared to the concern about race. Even after the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Bill the government declared war against its own people. Now a new form of enslavement has arrived-The Birth of Mass Incarceration. More Blacks are under correctional control than were enslaved in 1850 as stated by Alexander. Convicted felons enter a separate society, hidden from public view, governed by oppressive and discriminatory rules and laws. Most states deny the right to vote and excluded from public housing, education. Today mass incarceration seems to define the meaning of a certain race in America; black people especially our men who are seen as criminals. Alexander declares the War on Drugs must end in order for the mantle where Dr. King left off can be once again picked up. Alexander propose that we accept all of us or none philosophy as we look to fix the racial caste system and work for true equality for all. The first theme discussed is War on Drugs campaign. Though the War on Drugs didnt actually begin with Reagan, he played a key role. The new racial caste system would have to be formally race neutral language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of blacks back in their place as stated by Alexander. The new system would not violate the law or the limits acceptable political discourse by demanding law and order rather than segregation forever. Though the primary reasons for the war on drugs is thought to be political; but it was also a part of a strategy to keep poor working class whites mainly in the South not feel threaten by the gains of African American. Some scholars believe the crime control policies pursued in the context of the War on Drugs rest largely on the philosophy of deterrence. As applied

to sentencing policy, deterrence theory suggests that increasing the penalties (the "costs") for crime will lead to a reduction in crime. Sentencing reforms enacted during the past 25 years reflect this assumption. State and federal policymakers adopted reforms designed to increase the severity of sentences and thus to enhance the deterrent effect of punishment. Included among these reforms were sentencing guidelines based solely or primarily on the seriousness of the offense and the offender's prior criminal record, mandatory minimum sentences, truth in sentencing laws, and "three strikes and you're out" legislation. Drug offenses were specifically targeted by many of these reforms (Spohn; Holleran, 2002). The only solution to this problem is to end War on Drugs completely.

The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 imposed a minimum sentence for the distribution of cocaine, including far more severe punishment for distribution of crack associated with blacks than whites associated with cocaine. The new Anti-Drug Abuse Act authorized public housing authorities to evict any tenant who allows any form of drug related criminal activity to occur on or near public housing premises and eliminates many federal benefits, including student loans, for anyone convicted of drug offense. As stated by Alexander, Reagan made good on his promise to crack down on the racially defined others-the undeserving. According to Mackey-Kallis and Hahn (1994), the minority community became a scapegoat in the war on drugs. The selective enforcement of drug laws for street dealers and harsher mandatory sentencing guidelines for crack versus powder cocaine led to a significant increase in the number of African-American males prosecuted and convicted for drug-related offenses. Smothers (1995) found that the ratio of federal convictions for crack cocaine between African-American offenders and Anglo-Americans was 88% to 4.1%. Also, Lockwood, Pottieger, and Inciardi (1995) reported that, while crack cocaine users are more crime-prone than powder cocaine users they do not appear to be more violent. They also contend that is not the type of cocaine. These findings provide evidence of selective enforcement practices during the late 1980s (Jones, 1998). The solution to this theme has been

fixed in terms of the bill. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 was signed by President Barack Obama, who said during the 2008 presidential campaign that the sentencing disparity "disproptionately filled our prisons with young black and Latinos drug users" The new law would decrease the ratio to 18-1 and eliminate the five year mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine. The is not retroactiving meaning individuas incarcerated under the old law will continue to serve their harsh sentence (Smith, 2010). Next theme is the probation and parole and the risk of recidivism. Alexander states, Probationers and parolees are at increased risk of being arrest because their lives are governed by additional rules that do not apply to everyone else. The extraordinary increase in prison admissions due to parole and probation violations is due almost entirely to the War on Drugs. Younger offenders have a higher probability of recidivism or recidivate more quickly than older offenders, black and Hispanic offenders have higher recidivism rates than white offenders, and offenders with more serious prior criminal records have higher recidivism rates than those with less serious criminal histories (Spohn; Holleran, 2002). Any behavior that relates closely to a probationers or parolees risk of reoffending or chances of establishing a law-abiding lifestyle and that can be monitored with reasonable accuracy at acceptable cost is a candidate for incorporation into a HOPE-style community corrections regime. For example monitor a probationers alcohol use perhaps with a skin patch that detects alcohol or drugs in perspiration (Kleiman; Hawken, 2008). Alexander believes reducing the amount of time of people spend behind bars by eliminating harsh mandatory minimums will alleviate some of the unnecessary suffering caused by this system, but it will not disturb the closed circuit. Those labeled felons will continue to cycle in and out of prison, subjected to perpetual surveillance by the police, and unable to integrate into the mainstream society and economy.

The law enforcement method described in the beginning of the book hit hard in poor communities of color. African Americans and Latinos fill our nations prisons and jails every year as reported by Alexander. In every state across our nation, African American particular in the poorest neighborhoods are subjected to tactics and practices that would result in public outrage and scandal if committed in middle class white neighborhoods. Prison policy has exacerbated the festering national problem of social and racial inequality. Incarceration rates for blacks and Latinos are now more than six times higher than for whites; 60% of Americas prison population is either African-American or Latino. A shocking eight percent of black men of working age are now behind bars, and 21% of those between the ages of 25 and 44 have served a sentence at some point in their lives. At current rates, one-third of all black males, one-sixth of Latino males, and one in 17 white males will go to prison during their lives. Incarceration rates this high are a national tragedy (Austin,etc., 2007). The demonization of criminals has become a special burden for young black males, of whom nearly one-third will spend time in prison during their life.15 The fear of black men and other factors fuel the racially disproportionate imprisonment and convinces many Americans that black males are an especially dangerous class of people, different from the rest of us, the so-called law-abiding (Hawkins,etc., 2003). Austin recommend reducing time served in prison, eliminate the use of prison for parole or probation technical violators, reduce the length of parole and probation supervision periods, decriminalize victimless crimes, particularly those related to drug use and abuse, improve conditions of imprisonment, and restore ex-prisoner voting and other rights. Alexander spoke of black men who seem to embrace gansta culture in the proper perspective. She continues to state psychologists have long observed that when people feel hopelessly stigmatized, a powerful coping strategy often the only apparent route to self-esteem is

embracing ones stigmatized identity. Cornel West argues that much of the decline in the Black community can be attributed to fortuitous and fleeting moments preoccupied with getting over with acquiring pleasure, property, and power by any means necessary. He defines the contemporary cultural climate as a market culture dominated by gangster mentalities and selfdestructive wantonness, which pervades all of black society, but its impact on the disadvantage is devastating, resulting in the violence of everyday life (Boyd, 1997). African American in inner cities could feel if theyre going to be treated as a criminal anyway than they should become one. In order to fix this theme, you would first have to change the attitudes of young African American. They would have to understand by accepting the hand they are deal will cost them defeat. As stated by Alexander embracing them as humans rather than shaming and condemning the behavior. The New Jim Crow is a caste system that makes black people invisible and succeeds in the sense of marginalizing African American while disrupting families. In contemporary US society, one of the main problems continues to be the unequal social standing of racial minorities as compared to the white inhabitants. In a study, Polls show the scepticism of white Americans to the claim that racism is the cause that holds African-Americans back from upward mobility. Almost two-thirds of whites are satisfied with the treatment of African-Americans in society. However, on the other hand, almost two-thirds of African-Americans are dissatisfied with the treatment of society in general and whites specifically towards African- Americans. African-Americans were four times more likely to be dissatisfied with treatment in the workplace, neighborhood shops and other similar places. 47% of African-Americans believe themselves to have received an unfair treatment in one out of five situations over the last month (Brown 2004). President Clinton vowed to be tougher than any Republican and at this he succeeds with Ricky Ray Rector, Welfare Reform, and One Strike and Youre Out. The federal government began funding police

department to engage in the War on Drugs. During the Clinton era alone, the prison population grew by 700.000, resulting in a total figure in recent years of 1.7 million African-Americans who, due to their incarceration, lost the right to vote (Marable, 2002: 5). However, more and more it is argued that the essential role of the criminal justice system in recent years is to manage redundant labor and minority groups (Marable, 2000). The reality is that some small-town villages in rural areas exploit free or low paid prison labor to accelerate the economy. Prisons are therefore nowadays seen as one of the most profitable growth industries. The article discussing marginalization leads to the conclusion that racisms embedded nature in social structures, as well as attitudes and beliefs, continues to put African-Americans back in place. Racism in this ingrained nature has however become extremely difficult to tackle, as it is portrayed in a subtle and anonymous way, making it almost impossible to blame particular individuals (Riphagen, 2008). A possible solutions for this problem is to no longer house non-violent offenders. Instead allow the individuals time to be served on probation. While on probation they would recieve treatment for their drug problem and skills that will allow them to find jobs. In conclusion, a new Jim Crow does exist today and colors are the only ones affected by this system. Mass incarceration affects many families and communities around this country. Since slavery, African Americans are the invisible race that suffers at the hand of their own country. The country, our ancestors help build, has turn their backs on the incarcerated. War on Drugs must end in order of our race to survive. African Americans and Latinos are the most incarcerated for drug offenses and the most on probation or parole. Their plan to control Blacks through the criminal justice system has worked. We must claim back our men and stand against the racial caste system; the new Jim Crow; mass incarceration.

Cite Work Austin, J.,Clear,T., Duster, T., Greenberg, D.F. Irwin,I., McCoy, C., Mobley, A., Owens, B. Page, J. 2007. Unlocking America: Why and How to Reduce Americas Prison Population. The JFA Institute. Washington, D.C Retreive from www.jfa-associates.com

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Lockwood, D. A., Pottieger & Inciardi. J. 1995. Crack Use by Crack Users, and Ethnicity. D.F. Hawkins, ed. Ethnicity, Race, and Crime, pp. 212-234. Albany, Ny: State University of New York Press. Mackey-Kallis, S. & Hahn, D. 1994. Who to Blame for Americas Drug Problem?: The Search for Scapegoats in the War on Drugs. Communication Quarterly 42:1-20. Marable, M. (2000) How capitalism underdeveloped black America: Problems in race, political economy and society South End Press Marable, M. (2002) The political and theoretical contexts of the changing racial terrain Souls, vol 4 (3) 1-16

Riphagen, Linde. 2008.Marginalization of African American in the Social Sphere of US Society. Retrieved from www.ijis.aau.dk/articles/vol5_no1/5_Linde_PDF.pdfhttp://www.google.com/ search? hl=en&biw=1024&bih=596&q=related:www.ijis.aau.dk/articles/vo l5_no1/5_Linde_PDF.pdf+MARGINALIZATION+OF+AFRICANAMERICANS+IN+THE&tbo=1&sa=X&ei=UY8T5jZK4rWtgeH9JHoCg&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQHzAA Smith, P. 2010. Obama Signs Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform Bill.Drug War Chronicle. WAshington D.C. Retrieved from: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/aug/03/obama_signs_crack_cocaine_sent en Smothers, R. 1995. Wave of Prison Uprising Provoke Debate on Crack. The New York Times. October 24, 1995. New York Press. Spohn, C., & Holleran, D. (2002). The effect of imprisonment on recidivism rates of felony offenders: A focus on drug offenders. Criminology, 40(2), 329-357. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220693627?accountid=13713