Essay On Mass Incarceration

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Recommended: Prejudice and discrimination against minorities

On the topic of legal discrimination against people of color, a question has been raised on how describing mass incarceration as a caste system effects a democratic country. Michelle Alexander discusses the topic of racial caste systems in the U.S. and how our country has shifted from one caste to another, starting from slavery, to the Jim Crow Era, and now to the War on Drugs. It is not hard to find similarities between Jim Crow and mass incarceration in today’s society, particularly the nation’s blatant discrimination against African Americans. Alexander’s main argument is that mass incarceration and drug charges in the U.S is rigged against people of color through the use of racist policies we thought to have been eradicated. Even low-class …show more content…

Even before suspects are arrested, they are not completely aware of all their rights. And when in court, white criminals are favored more than black criminals. The U.S. government needs to crack down on its laws when it comes to giving potential criminals a fair trial. Not only will this potentially allow for less crowded prisons, but also give law enforcement and judges more opportunity to really make sure that a person is guilty. And while mass incarceration based on race largely impacts people going into the system (in prison or on parole), it also effects those who have been released and are now forced to live under laws that promote discrimination. Alexander makes the argument that the “prison label” is more damaging than the shame associated with Jim Crow. This is true because not only do people face humiliation in going to prison, but then ex-offenders are forced to survive while following laws and regulations discriminate against them. People are allowed to turned down housing to ex-offenders as well as refuse to give them jobs. So how are these people supposed to integrate back into society when they face the same, if not worse, discrimination they did before going to jail? Criminals have a more permanent home in prison than they do when they are released and are trying to start

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