In the introduction to The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, the author wrote “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” Alexander explained that in today’s society it is legal to discriminate against criminals in almost all of the ways that it was legal to discriminate against African Americans in the past. My understanding of this quote is that a racial caste system still exists in the United States, even though the Jim Crow Laws and segregation were outlawed decades ago. Rather than targeting African Americans, this caste system targets criminals. Even though the caste system targets criminals, the majority of the people in our nation are incarcerated. Therefore, it is simply just a redesigned caste system that still targets people of color.
Alexander uses research to back up this statement, which sets us up to read the rest of her book. One piece of information the author incorporates into her research is that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. It surpasses Russia, China, Iran, and Germany. This demonstrates how overall there are far too many inmates in our nation. Furthermore, she points out that the United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of the apartheid. By providing this piece of information, Alexander shows just how many blacks are incarcerated. She also mentioned that in Washington D.C. it is estimated that three out of four young black men can expect to serve time in prison. This information can be used to explain how in one city, an extremely high percentage of black men go to prison.