Play Book Tag discussion

I've had this book on my to-read list for years and I'm glad I finally had time to sit down and pour over it (thanks, pandemic). Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness examines the phenomenon of mass incarceration in America, from its roots in slavery, to the rise and fall of Jim Crow laws, to its present incarnation, the mass jailing of black men (and others) due to laws arising from America's War on Drugs. This book overlaps with many of my research interests, and I've studied and observed the effects of mass incarceration firsthand, so I often saw it cited in my studies. In fact, before I started it, I worried a little that I might already know all that she had to say, knowing how much later scholarship and discourse stemmed from this book, first published in 2010.

I needn't have worried. Although Alexander writes in an accessible, straightforward manner, this book is an incredibly deep dive into the laws and policies that have shaped America since its founding, and draws clear connections and conclusions from her vast amount of data and statistics. I read the Kindle edition, and have almost 400 highlights; I probably could have highlighted the whole book if I'd let myself. She did cover some familiar ground to me, in terms of issues like mandatory minimum sentencing for tiny quantities of marijuana possession, the absolutely insane and discriminatory practices of police search and seizures, and some of the overtures how "colorblind" policy can excuse overtly racist behavior in the courtroom as long as no one talks about it. That certainly tracked with my own research and experience. But I learned much more than that. The history section was especially fascinating, since it delved into a time period that extends beyond my memory: the rhetoric and policies of the Drug War in the 1980s and 90s. I was a child in the 90s, so I remember only the broadest strokes of some of that stuff, so I was really happy to have an authoritative voice lay it all out plainly for me.

Alexander is also absolutely unflinching in her tone. She is not pulling any punches here, nor should she be. At the time she was writing the book, no one knew the term "mass incarceration," nor cared. Now, ten years later, it is a frequently debated policy issue. That, along with the legalization of marijuana, one of the main lynchpins for the most racist of the Drug War policies, shows the progress that has been made in the last decade. Unfortunately, the rest illustrated how very little has actually changed. The statistics she quotes have not changed much since 2010. Also, as she points out in the Foreword to the tenth anniversary edition, the rise of immigrant detention in private prison facilities certainly illustrate the evolving nature of mass incarceration. Black men may no longer be the main targets, but all across America, people are suffering under the scourge of mass incarceration.

I especially liked her point that racism is a multi-faceted phenomenon: it doesn't only need racial animus to function, but racial indifference as well. For too long, white people in this country have prided themselves on not being "racist" by simply not caring about people of other races. As the Black Lives Matter and similar movements demonstrate, that simply isn't going to cut it anymore. The first step to real equality is to have compassion and empathy for all, and not let racist political rhetoric by wealthy elites continue to divide and rule us. Alexander's book may illustrate that most poignantly of all.

I am now in the point in Stamped From The Beginning where he has covered the War on Drugs, i.e. a War on Black people and it is fascinating the disparity in number of Black people in our population versus number of Black people who are targeted and incarcerated.

I think this will expand nicely on those observations from Kendi's book. He is trying to cover racist ideas in a very broad manner so he doesn't spend as much time on criminal policy in the depth that I am guessing this book does.

I look forward to getting to this sometime.

Meli wrote: "I am now in the point in Stamped From The Beginning where he has covered the War on Drugs, i.e. a War on Black people and it is fascinating the disparity in number of Black people in our population..."

I have that book too! I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I really wanted to get to this one first because the specific focus on the criminal justice and prison system is in my wheelhouse. I definitely think this will complement it well, based on your description.

One of the statistics in this book that staggered me was that when the Reagan admin declared the Drug War, only 2% of the country considered drugs the most pressing issue. 2%! The public frenzy was entirely manufactured by the politicians and the media to drum up support for the anti-drug policies designed to target the black population. Absolutely bananas...

I have read about a third of this one! I plan to read a few more chapters in the morning!

I hope you like it! I can’t say it’s a fast or light read, but totally worth reading for what’s to be learned in here.

That stat was in this book too! Very interesting.