The New Jim Crow Summary

In chapter two of Michelle Anderson’s “The New Jim Crow,” Alexander explains how the system of mass incarceration works. Anderson argues that the War on Drugs has led to the increment of African Americans in state and federal prisons for non-serious drug violations (possession). Most of these men have no serious criminal histories and are rarely drug kings or high ranked drug dealers. Due to the government’s persistence in making the community safer by removing “criminals,” they have developed programs to crack down on drugs. Law enforcement agencies were using illegal tactics, which became legalized, to capture people. Tactics like pretext or using drug-sniffing dogs became admissible ways to obtain drugs. Alexander discusses how the system of mass incarceration works. The usage of rules, laws and policies to place African Americans in prison for minor offenses is also known as mass incarceration. After reading this chapter, I became perplexed that the government, Federal (DEA) and state, decided that it is expectable to use their “sixth” sense to lead to a systematic mass incarceration of people of color. I was stunned to know that the Supreme Court has encouraged the usage of violations to the fourth amendment by making exceptions. When the amendment was constituted, it specifically stated that there should be no exceptions;
Ex-cons face major discrimination from society and in the workplace. She mentions that when a person is released, they lose access to federal welfare programs, educational benefits as well as basic rights to vote. Alexander uses this chapter to illustrate how the mass incarceration affects the individuals as well as their families. Furthermore, those convicted of a felonious crime are usually discriminated when applying for jobs. These individuals are commonly high school