The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration

According to the United States Constitution, the 13th amendment states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (U.S. Constitution). Although slavery ended just over 100 years ago, “involuntary” slavery has continued through the prison system. The U.S. prison system’s population has grown tremendously. The increase in population was mainly driven by greater penalties for non-violent crimes. On average, 1and 3 blacks are arrested and sent to prison, reason they make up majority of the prisons population. Rappers like Biggy Smalls, Tupac Shakur and WU-TANG CLAN use their musical

Alexander has written many books, but she is mostly known for her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. In the book, Alexander argues the systematic racial in the United States and how the War on Drugs and other governmental policies is having devastating social consequences. Comparing a prisoner today to a slave, she states, “Today a criminal freed from prison has scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a freed slave…” (pg.141) Criminals also known as “slaves” lose respect from the world the second they have a criminal background. The status of a criminal is often compared to the status of a slave especialy, if he or she is African America. Moreover, she states, “When we say someone was ‘treated like a criminal,’ what we mean to say is that he or she was treated as less than human, like a shameful creature” (pg. 141). Criminals are treated as if they are less than humans. From the moment, they are handcuffed and to the second they are released from jail, criminals are no longer seen as an honest citizen. Their basic rights as a Citizen of the United States are taken and forcing them to survive by any means necessary, which often forces them to return to

However, this is no coincidence. Alexander adds, “The churning of African Americans in and out of prisons today is hardly surprising, given the strong message that is sent to them that they ate not wanted in mainstream society” (Pg. 143). Society has made it clear that the African American body was never and probably will never be fully accepted. Tupac raps, in his song “Changes” he states, “…the penitentiary’s packed, and it’s filled with blacks” (Shakur Tupac). The prison system has been heavily populated by blacks for decades. Black men are constantly being take away from their families on non-violent charges.

The War on Drugs was another way to racially profile the black community and further the issue of mass incarceration. Tupac Shakur’s, “Changes” makes references to the War on Drugs and how it negatively impacts the black community. He raps, “Instead of war on poverty, they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me” (Shakur). Many rappers like Shakur explain this common interaction between them and the law. This not only affect the men being profiled but their families. The War on Drugs left a lot of families with single parent homes or no parents at