Michelle Alexander

Question 1

• Mass incarceration…
• Permeates legal discrimination.
• Segregates people of color from society.
• Creates barriers to employment, housing,
  and political participation.
• From Slavery, to Jim Crow, to mass
  incarceration.

Answer 1

1. Mass Incarceration as the New Racial Caste System
   The New Jim Crow

Question 2

• The War on Drugs led to policies that aggressively target low-
  income, Black communities, despite similar drug usage rates
  among whites.
• Harmful policies include…
• Mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses
• 3 strikes rules
• Pressuring people to accept plea deals
• Serve as a tool of racial control under the guise of crime
  prevention, casting racial minorities as criminals.

Answer 2

2. The “War on Drugs” as a Tool of Social Control
   The New Jim Crow

Question 3

• Policies and rhetoric framed as “colorblind” hide the racial biases that drive
  the criminal justice system’s discriminatory practices.
• Political appeals to “law and order” are racially coded, linking criminality with
  Blackness and shaping public support for punitive measures.
• This colorblind ideology allows society to ignore systemic racism, justifying
  inequalities as natural or deserved.
• Many Americans have a financial interest in mass incarceration.

Answer 3

3. Colorblindness and Racial Injustice
   The New Jim Crow

Question 4

• Police discretion in targeting and arresting individuals is often
  exercised in a racially biased manner, focusing on low-income
  Black neighborhoods.
• Prosecutors hold power to influence sentencing outcomes
  through charges and plea bargains, often leading to harsher
  penalties for minorities.
• These discretionary practices contribute to a justice system that
  disproportionately affects people of color while appearing
  impartial.

Answer 4

4. The Role of Law Enforcement and Prosecutorial Discretion
   The New Jim Crow