The introduction of the book “The New Jim Crow in the Age of Colorblindness” begins by drawing a comparison between incarceration in the current day and other social controls in the past such as Jim Crow laws. The author points out that most people tend to associate the high incarceration rates of people of color, specifically black and latinx people, with poverty, segregation and unequal access to educational opportunities. She explains that research shows that people from all races have about the same rate of drug usage and dealing, but the majority of people incarcerated for drug related offenses are black and latinx. Then she makes the point that mass incarceration is used to lock certain people into the positions they are in. For example, someone who is incarcerated loses their right to vote, access to government aid, etc. As the author states, incarceration leads to legal discrimination. Many members from the African American community are placed in this situation so they lose their ability to move upward in society. She ends the introduction by stating that this is book is written to spark discussion on how the criminal justice system perpetuates the racial hierarchy in American society. Chapter 1 focuses on the strides African Americans have made over time, but also the ways in which they struggled and still struggle despite those strides. It also specifically focuses on the socioeconomic issues that many African Americans face and how that contributes to the racial hierarchy in America. She also establishes how mass incarceration is the new Jim Crow.
This reading was a learning experience for me and educated me on issues that I only understood at a surface level. I do not have much experience with the issues the author talks about in this book, but I think it is important for all members of society to be educated on it so that we can be aware and bring about a change. What stuck out to me most was how the author showed that mass incarceration is a way to legally discriminate people. This combined with the fact that African American males are arrested and convicted at a higher rate than white males emphasizes one of the ways America’s racial hierarchy is maintained.
Question: What is something new you learned from this reading about mass incarceration?
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