The US rate of incarceration is 750 per 100,000 people, vs 161 in the US in 1972 and 93 in Germany today. Being black in America = having less opportunities and resources. However, of late, civil rights organizations became professionalized, heavily centered on lawyers and litigation, and distanced from the communities they were supposed to represent.Advocates are loath to petition on behalf of criminals.Rigid financial incentives are in place to perpetuate the system.Data seem to suggest the lowest crime rates in history.Positive feedback loops are incredibly powerful and can lead to lock-in of a situation like the New Jim Crow. In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that the war on drugs and its consequent incarceration of a disproportionate number of black American men amounts to a new form of racialized social control akin to the Jim Crow laws. I am still trying to absorb and synthesize the information. In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that the war on drugs and its consequent incarceration of a disproportionate number of black American men amounts to a new form of racialized social control akin to the Jim Crow laws. Being black in America = having less opportunities and resources. Crimes for which others are not charged. This chapter examines not just the racial bias inherent in these drug arrests but also the legal difficulty of proving racial discrimination.And these rates are not explainable by differences in violent crime, which occur too low of a rate to explain the growth in incarceration. So now you cannot get a job, home, or financial assistance, as you are no longer a worthwhile member of the community, deserving of help. English 201. Hardly an author opened my eyes for the real dimensions and roots of the prison industry as Alexander did, she nails down the problems intrinsic to an injustice system growing like a virus or tumor in a once prospering nation. She does an extraordinary job reviewing history, the different branches of the legal system, and the economic, social and political circumstances of black Americans today. I had the e-book from my local online library source but soon found that I had purchased two hardback copies with the idea of distributing them to people whom I could not imagine should miss the chance to read it! Blacks make up 13% of … But let me say first that I was immediately captivated by this book and soon adopted the feeling of some other reviewers that everyone should read and take this book to heart. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of I was a college freshman, required to write a paper about fads vs. trends. What a surprise this book was. January 5th 2010 It's a well-organized, thoughtful, accessible read - neither too light or too cluttered with footnotes. Welcome back. She does a particularly skilful job of anticipating arguments against her thesis, responding to each one with careful and persuasive analysis. The New Jim Crow is such a book. The result is effectively racial subjugation and disenfranchisement.In this summary, youâll learn how the war on drugs followed a pattern of implementation consistent with slavery and Jim Crow, how financial incentives and legal protection allow selective targeting of black males for drug crimes, and why itâs so difficult for drug convicts to reintegrate into society.In 30 years, the US penal population increased from 300k to 2MM, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of increase. 4.5 stars - This was such a great read for so many reasons... on its face, this is an excellently argued work of historical non-fiction. I always wanted to fly. I grew up in Chicago so I am well aware of how race can divide a city. 1988. Even apart from the profundity & implications of the subject matter itself, this book is well researched, well structured, and well written to an extent that makes it a pleasure to read in a way that puts it in the upper echelon of its genre.