Siera Fitzhugh Essays (775 words) - Drug Policy Of The United States

Siera Fitzhugh Jennifer Vinsky English 002 February 20, 2018 The New Jim Crow The New Jim Crow is a book that gives a look on how discrimination is still and at some post more prevalent today than it was in the 1850s. Author Michelle Alexander dives into the justice system and demonstrate how a lot of practices and beliefs from slavery times are just categorize differently now. The labeling make legal discrimination , but most people disregard it because it is covered with words such as "criminals," in order to legally enslave and separate an unhesitating represent of people . This discrimination is in manifold areas of the U.S. authority . Alexander describes how discrimination is still current in employment , education, the housing market , and voting rights . Alexander reveal these discrimination practices by compare to modern government systems to the old-fashioned Jim Crow laws . Alexander thinks that the racial caste system is basically the same, the only thing that has changed is what we call it today. People of color are mostly the ones incarcerated , so if you use the label " criminal " you can relate people of color without purposely recognizing them. Language is everything and how you label it deviate the way people judge it. Throughout the Alexander's book, her biggest argumentation on this new system is incarceration specifically. She uses a few admirable points to justify her claims . Alexander consult about the "War on Drugs." Alexander says that the "War on Drugs", is a policy put into effect through Reagan's reign in, increased African American imprisonment . Alexander also individualize that the "War on Drugs" was launched during a period where illegal drug usage was going down. As cocaine spreads rapidly throughout the unsatisfactory black communities' arrest and convictions were on the rise for drug offences. Alexander stated , "The impact of the drug war has been astounding . In less than thirty years , the U.S. penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of the increase (Alexander 2010 pg. 4)." She also mentions how those arrests hardly received an y helpful legal representation and a lot of people were forced into . Alexander shows how the CIA admitted that revolutionist armies they supported in Nicaragua were smuggling drugs into the U.S. They also acknowledged to not tolerate law enforcement to investigate the illegal drug networks .Most drug dealers , crack heads, or any other injurious names at the time were characterized as being " black" . Alexander uses studies that show all races sell and use illegal drugs at about the same rank as black and brown people do. She also uses surveys that state that youthful white Americans are more probable to be involved with drug crimes. This explains how the statistics are not represented inside of the U.S. prisons, which shows that there is a definite target on confine peop le of color . These are things many slaves did not have in the United States. Alexander makes a lot of good points and I agree with most of her book . I love the point that she compelled concerning President Barrack Obama. She discussed about how just because we have an African American president does not indicate that this country has conquered the concept of race . Race is a common fact whether we like to admit it or not. I feel as if that the modern Jim Crow system is still in effect even if there are African Americans that are barring to the regulation . Just like the original Jim Crow was used to guide the progression of African Americans and used as a system of lawful distinction , the recent Jim Crow uses those exact same concepts and just diversify the term we use . One race can't be more devoted to illegal activities than another race unless there is another factor i nvolved . We are all the same. I agree with Alexander on the point of Barrack Obama not being an element to disprove the New Jim Crow system. Barrack Obama is an African American, but his rise to office has not established minority