The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Description
In this groundbreaking work, legal scholar Michelle Alexander exposes how mass incarceration has become the modern equivalent of Jim Crow, systematically trapping millions of African Americans in a cycle of legal discrimination and social exclusion. Through compelling historical analysis and case studies, Alexander argues that despite the formal abolition of explicitly racist laws, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, disproportionately targeting black men and decimating communities of color. Drawing on her experience as a civil rights litigator, she challenges the widespread belief that America has transcended its racial past, demonstrating instead how colorblind policies perpetuate the very subordinate status that Jim Crow laws once enforced. This incisive critique calls upon the civil rights community and all Americans to recognize mass incarceration as a critical racial justice issue and to fundamentally reimagine our approach to criminal justice reform. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the intersection of race, law, and inequality in contemporary America.
Available Editions
paperback
Penguin Books, Limited
Published Jan 1, 2019
336 pages
ISBN: 9780141990675
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Details
First Published
2010
Language
eng
Featured in Challenges
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander.