The New Jim Crow (book by Michelle Alexander)

"The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander argues that mass incarceration, especially of Black Americans, functions as a racial caste system similar to historical Jim Crow laws. She explains that drug laws and sentencing disparities disproportionately target Black communities, leading to widespread arrests and disenfranchisement. Once labeled as felons, individuals face barriers to employment, housing, and voting, effectively maintaining racial inequality and social control. Alexander calls this a system of racial and social injustice that persistently suppresses minority advancement under the guise of crime prevention.