Annotated Bibliography Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New York: The New Press. Alexander opens up on the history of the criminal justice system, disciplinary crime policy and race in the U.S. detailing the ways in which crime policy and mass incarceration have worked together to continue the reduction and defeat of black Americans.
America’s criminal justice system is racially biased and influenced due to the fact that the punishment a person gets is not related to the crime that 's done, funds that help African
“Emmett Till and I were about the same age. A week after he was murdered . . . I stood on the corner with a gang of boys, looking at pictures of him in the black newspapers and magazines. In one, he was laughing and happy. In the other, his head was swollen and bashed in, his eyes bulging out of their sockets and his mouth twisted and broken. His mother had done a bold thing. She refused to let him be buried until hundreds of thousands marched past his open casket in Chicago and looked down at his mutilated body. [I] felt a deep kinship to him when I learned he was born the same year and day I was. My father talked about it at night and dramatized the crime. I couldn’t get Emmett out of my mind”.—Muhammed Ali, boxer 13
In her book, The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander who was a civil rights lawyer and legal scholar, reveals many of America’s harsh truths regarding race within the criminal justice system. Though the Jim Crow laws have long been abolished, a new form has surfaced, a contemporary system of racial control through mass incarceration. In this book, mass incarceration not only refers to the criminal justice system, but also a bigger picture, which controls criminals both in and out of prison through laws, rules, policies and customs. The New Jim Crow that Alexander speaks of has redesigned the racial caste system, by putting millions of mainly blacks, as well as Hispanics and some whites, behind bars
Through the years, the world has made substantial progress towards ensuring equal treatment under law for all citizens. However, the cycle continues, as disparities within the justice decision making process is growing at each level of the criminal justice system. Although the drug policies and sentencing guidelines that are put into place by our legislators are said to be “race neutral,” they have actually shown to be pervasively biased, affecting both innocent as well as guilty minority citizens. There is no question that the most important stage of the criminal justice system is the sentencing phase. It is at this stage where prosecutors, along with law enforcement personnel, attempt to determine who will or will not be granted leniency
Alexander argues that the practice of racial injustice and segregation is due to the existence of mass incarceration. She goes into great detail in her writing, explaining why she believes mass incarceration is the issue and how history show us that America will always find a way to separate racial communities. This book would serve as an excellent reference to anyone studying racial injustice, mass incarceration, plea bargain coercion, racial history in America, and more. The beauty of this book is not only Alexander’s fact finding revelations, is the fact that she isn’t saying anything unheard of or anything that has not been realized by member of poor black communities, she simply found a way to articulate the issue in a way the demanded consideration from readers in and outside the communities being discussed. Alexander finds a way to expose the true nature of the criminal justice system using the people’s voice and research.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, M. (2012). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: The New Press. Michelle Alexander in her book, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" argues that law enforcement officials routinely racially profile minorities to deny them socially, politically, and economically as was accustomed in the Jim Crow era.
An institutional racism still faced both past and present can be found in incarceration and racial profiling. Our prison populations have skyrocketed since the 80 's and there is a disproportionate amount of black and Latino individuals who are incarcerated. Between New York’s stop and frisk policies and the insurmountable amounts of unarmed black and Latino men who are shot by police the discrimination by the police and law enforcement is clearly evident. Although black and Latino drivers are less likely than white to be carrying drug and other contraband the majority of car pulled over are the cars of black and Latino divers. The racial profiling is just one reason for the disproportionate black and Latino prison population.
We live in a society where ethnic minorities are target for every minimal action and/or crimes, which is a cause to be sentenced up to 50 years in jail. African Americans and Latinos are the ethnic minorities with highest policing crimes. In chapter two of Michelle Alexander’s book, The Lockdown, we are exposed to the different “crimes” that affects African American and Latino minorities. The criminal justice system is a topic discussed in this chapter that argues the inequality that people of color as well as other Americans are exposed to not knowing their rights. Incarceration rates, unreasonable suspicions, and pre-texts used by officers are things that play a huge role in encountering the criminal justice system, which affects the way
According to “The Murder of Emmett Till” by David Robson, Mamie Carthan, later and better known as Mamie Till, was born in Webb, Mississippi and the only child to John and Alma Carthan (Robson, The Murder of Emmett Till). At the age of two Mamie’s father, John Carthan, alone moved to Argo, Illinois, which was an upcoming suburb of Chicago, in search for a job (Robson, The Murder of Emmett Till). A short time after John Carthan moved to Argo, Illinois, settled into a house, and local job at a corn refinery; at that point did Alma Carthan take their two year old daughter, Mamie, to Argo, Illinois to rejoin John and become a family again (Robson, The Murder of Emmett Till). At the age of eighteen, Mamie had done outstanding in her education, not
Courts are a major evaluative stage of the criminal justice system and we rely on these courts to determine our outcomes based on the crime that was committed. Today, there is more diversity of leadership in the court system but, race still plays a role in the outcome of the offender. This could range from petty crimes being committed like traffic infractions or facing the death penalty based on the race of the offender or victim. This paper will examine the three types of disparities that cause biased sentencing in the courts. The three types of disparities are race, social class, and gender and these all play a huge factor when making a decision based off an offender.
he young 14 yr old boy Emmett Till was murdered on August 28, 1955. He allegedly walked into a store and whistle at a white woman while her brother in law and husband were there with her. The boy was dared to go inside this store and whistle at her. Emmett till was from the north you were able to do that from where he came from. Emmett thought it would be all fun and games but the 2 men did not take it lightly. The 2 men
Emmett Till murder trial changed the world the world by making people realizes that they have to stand and make a change. Emmett Till helped people realizes they have to stand up .Emmett Till helped black and white people join together. Emmett Till death inspired American People to demand justice for black people through his background, murder and trial and world wide impact.
Disclosed here is the true account of the slaying in Mississippi of a Negro youth named
Emmett Till, a 14 year old African-American, was brutally murdered racists. When Emmett was little he had a slight studded due to polio. He was born on July 25, 1921 and lived in Chicago, Illinois with his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. Emmett went to visit family in Money, Mississippi where he supposedly whistled at a white women and was brutally murdered after. Though he went to a segregated school he, he faced little racism compared to those in the south. J.W Milam and Roy Bryant, Emmett’s attackers, savagely assassinated Emmett Till, yet he did not get justice. Roy Bryant was the store clerk’s husband and J.W his half brother, these two shot and tortured Emmett and shot him in the head. After the murder when the trail was held the two murderers