Michelle Alexander's 'The New Jim Crow' is a groundbreaking examination of the U.S. criminal justice system, revealing how mass incarceration functions as a new form of racial caste. The book meticulously details the historical and contemporary factors that have led to the disproportionate imprisonment of African Americans and the long-term consequences of felony convictions. Alexander argues that the War on Drugs, Supreme Court decisions, and collateral consequences of felony convictions have created a system that perpetuates racial inequality. She calls for a comprehensive approach to dismantle this system, emphasizing the need to address racial divisions and foster a culture of compassion and care. The book is praised for its thorough and coherent argument, drawing together various factors to illustrate how the criminal justice system operates as a mechanism of racial control.
The new system of racialized control that Alexander describes is perhaps even more destructive and dangerous than Jim Crow segregation in two ways. First, because the current system of mass incarceration is not explicitly based on race and is supposedly colorblind, it is difficult to combat on the grounds of racial bias. Second, under Jim Crow segregation, African Americans could not be blamed for their plight. But under the racialized system of mass incarceration, convicted felons typically are blamed for their fate, because they “chose” to engage in crime. And if we can blame individuals — their culture, poor work ethic, etc. — for their place in the criminal justice system, “then society is absolved of responsibility to do anything about their condition” (235).
A criminal record today authorizes precisely the forms of discrimination we supposedly left behind — discrimination in employment, housing, education, public benefits, and jury service. Those labeled criminal can even be denied the right to vote.
The new system of racialized control that Alexander describes is perhaps even more destructive and dangerous than Jim Crow segregation in two ways. First, because the current system of mass incarceration is not explicitly based on race and is supposedly colorblind, it is difficult to combat on the grounds of racial bias. Second, under Jim Crow segregation, African Americans could not be blamed for their plight. But under the racialized system of mass incarceration, convicted felons typically are blamed for their fate, because they “chose” to engage in crime. And if we can blame individuals — their culture, poor work ethic, etc. — for their place in the criminal justice system, “then society is absolved of responsibility to do anything about their condition” (235).
