The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (Audiobook Excerpt)

Summary

The transcript highlights the growth of the American penal system since the 1970s, focusing on its disproportionate impact on African Americans. It traces how criminologists once predicted the decline of prisons, citing their failure to prevent crime and calls for a moratorium on prison construction. However, instead of fading away, mass incarceration expanded to unprecedented levels, particularly targeting Black men. Despite this, civil rights groups have prioritized issues like affirmative action, often neglecting the profound racial injustice within the criminal justice system.

Takeaways

• ⚖️ The American penal system has evolved into a system of social control, disproportionately affecting certain racial groups.
• 📉 Despite declining crime trends, incarceration rates have soared, particularly impacting African-American communities.
• 🔍 Experts in the 1970s predicted that the prison system would soon diminish, citing its failure to deter crime effectively.
• 📚 In 1973, the National Advisory Commission recommended closing juvenile institutions and halting the construction of new adult prisons.
• 🚫 Prisons were seen as creating more crime than preventing it, with the penal system viewed as fundamentally flawed.
• 🔗 Despite expert opinions advocating for a reduction in incarceration, the prison population has skyrocketed since the 1970s.
• 📈 From 350,000 incarcerated individuals in 1972 to over 2 million today, the rate of imprisonment has grown at an unprecedented pace.
• 🚨 One in three young African-American men is projected to serve time in prison if current trends persist.
• 🧑🏾‍⚖️ The civil rights community has been largely quiet on mass incarceration, focusing more on issues like affirmative action.
• 🏫 Affirmative action debates have overshadowed mass incarceration in national racial justice discussions, even as prisons fill with Black and Brown individuals.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the transcript regarding the American penal system?

The transcript argues that the American penal system is a form of social control that targets people based on race and is unparalleled in world history. It highlights that the system has expanded significantly since the 1970s despite expert opinions predicting its decline.

How did criminologists in the 1970s view the future of the prison system?

In the 1970s, criminologists believed that the prison system would fade away because it didn't significantly deter crime. They concluded that people with meaningful economic and social opportunities were unlikely to commit crimes and that prison often led to higher rates of recidivism.

What recommendation did the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals make in 1973?

The National Advisory Commission recommended in 1973 that no new adult prisons should be built, and juvenile institutions should be closed. This recommendation was based on evidence that prisons failed to prevent crime and instead created more crime.

How has the prison population in the U.S. changed since the early 1970s?

The prison population in the U.S. has grown from fewer than 350,000 people in 1972 to more than two million today. This massive increase was unprecedented and not anticipated by experts at the time.

What does Marc Mauer highlight as remarkable about the moratorium campaign of the 1970s?

Marc Mauer points out that the moratorium campaign in the 1970s was notable for its context. At the time, the incarceration rate was much lower than it is today, yet activists still viewed it as excessively high. They could not have foreseen the massive prison expansion that would follow.

What is the current impact of mass incarceration on the African-American community?

Mass incarceration has disproportionately affected African-American men, with one in three young black men expected to serve time in prison if current trends continue. In some cities, more than half of all young black men are under correctional control.

Why is mass incarceration often seen as a criminal justice issue rather than a racial justice issue?

Mass incarceration tends to be categorized as a criminal justice issue because the focus is often on the legal and institutional aspects of the system. However, the transcript argues that the racial disparities in incarceration make it a racial justice and civil rights crisis as well.

What civil rights issue has dominated the focus of activists instead of mass incarceration?

Over the past 20 years, civil rights activists have primarily focused on defending affirmative action, particularly in higher education, rather than addressing the growing issue of mass incarceration.

Why might civil rights organizations have focused on affirmative action rather than mass incarceration?

Civil rights organizations may have focused on affirmative action because it has been seen as a crucial tool for maintaining diversity in elite colleges and universities, which dominated racial justice discourse in the media. This attention diverted resources away from addressing mass incarceration.

What is the public perception of the main racial justice battlefront in the U.S.?

The general public perceives affirmative action as the primary racial justice issue in the U.S. due to the attention it has received in the media, even though mass incarceration disproportionately affects black and brown communities.