Coming to an end, who’s at fault?

At one point within the chapter, Michelle Alexander notes that a notable difference between Jim Crow and mass incarceration is that the current system of control receives, or rather seems to receive, the support of African Americans. In society, blame is placed on the individual that arrested: because they chose to commit crimes, they are incarcerated. However, Alexander makes the argument that all of us are essentially criminals, and the current system exploits the fact that everyone makes a mistake at some point in their lives. An illusion of culpability is created, it isn’t that the urban poor are more likely to make mistakes, it’s that they are more likely to be targeted by the system of control. While political policies and judicial proceedings may be at fault for playing a part in the system of control, wouldn’t the law enforcement agencies have the largest part in targeting individuals to be prosecuted?

One thought on “Coming to an end, who’s at fault?

  1. As much as I agree that certain laws seem to catch peoples mistakes, I dont think its appropriate to make excuses for criminals. “The urban poor are more likely to make mistakes” just sounds like a euphemism.

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