First Half Recap of "The New Jim Crow"

Chapter 1-3

So far I have read up to chapter 3 of The New Jim Crow, and the book has covered the history of caste and racial segregation to now the War on Drugs and how blacks are being discriminated in the criminal justice system. 

Chapter 1 starts off covering slavery in the United States. Michelle Alexander talks about the concept of Race in the US. This concept first started when white settlers founded this country on freedom, however at the same time they were the one enslaving African-Americans. These black people were used as a free source of labor and hence were then placed at the bottom of the caste system. Then plantation owners started transporting large amounts of people from Africa. They were chosen to be perfect for slavery over Europeans due to them being less likely to revolt. Alexander shows how slavery had risen in the South. However, after the civil war slavery was abolished. However, the death of slavery had just paved the path for a new set of segregation rules, known as the Jim Crow Laws during the Reconstruction Era. These Jim Crow laws again gave white superiority over blacks, however by 1945 it was clear that these Jim Crow laws could not survive any longer and they were also soon brought to an end. Civil Rights Movement then started and the government brought equal rights to all. Alexander, however, goes on to explain the idea of Mass Incarceration and how the government can throw anyone in prison for a small crime. She talks about how the Regan Administration launched the War on Drugs campaign and how much traction it picked up. Now due to this "War on Drugs" campaign, the majority of people being incarcerated were blacks showing the birth of, "The New Jim Crow". 

In Chapter 2 Alexander goes on to cover how the government is using the war on drugs to target and search practically anyone for drugs. She starts off by making a very valid and strong point by saying how this "War" doesn't target the "Kingpins" or the main people such as the drug lords, rather it targets the small drug couriers. This showed me how this war on drugs is to really lock up the small drug couriers who are just trying to maybe make some money. Alexander then states how the police are able to search anyone anywhere. This goes against the fourth amendment, however, due to the new "stop and frisk" rule, this is legal as long as consent is given to search. Alexander gives the example of Terrance Bostick, a colored male who was searched without any evidence and then police found a pound of cocaine on him. Alexander here shows how police now just have no constraints when it comes to searching people. Alexander then goes to cover, "why police are able to arrest so many people?" Police are able to get incentives for drug arrests so this makes them arrest more people. Many of these people after being arrested don't get proper chances in court and are sentenced to lengthy terms in prison for even a first-time offense. Then even when released many prisoners have nowhere to go and nothing left in life. Alexander states unless fewer people are convicted and these lengthy sentences continue, mass incarceration will also continue. 

Chapter 3 goes into detail about how colored people are being discriminated against in the justice system and are ending up in prisons. She starts off with some startling facts about incarceration rates for drugs. She says that 80-90% of those sent to prison for drug crimes are African-Americans. People have internalized the racist association of black people and drugs from the media. This showing that the reason for the majority of people sent to prison are blacks because they commit the most crime. However, this is false as seen in the court case of McClesky vs. Kemp. Here a black man was facing a death sentence for shooting a white officer. In the case to prove racial bias, a statistic of 2000 homicide cases was shown and those who killed white people were 11 times more likely to be sentenced to death than to those who killed a colored person. However, this evidence wasn't taken to be valid so it wouldn't go against our criminal justice system. This shows that there is racism in our own justice system. The government aims to make trials fairer, however, blacks are prohibited from serving in juries and if are allowed are dismissed from jury duty many times. Alexander also puts up the point that there is a lot of racial bias in the police. She says that they target places such as black ghettos. A study on the Seattle PD showed that they operated on a racialized conception of drugs. Police departments use racial profiling tactics to stop people however Alexander claims that it is ineffective because whites are actually more likely to carry drugs than none-whites. Alexanders points show that racial profiling is just a pure out wrong and unjust tactic and that our criminal justice system is full of racial bias. 

Michelle Alexander has covered everything that has lead up to this idea of mass incarceration and how blacks are being targeted in this. She covered themes such as discrimination, showing how this is a consistent problem in the justice system. I now expect her to talk about the deeper effects of mass incarceration and explain the effects of President Obama becoming the first black president in 2008, as she brielfy talks about on the back of the novel.