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lfagundes's review against another edition
4.0
Wow less than 50 pages into this and i'm already having my mind blown.
In the 70's there were only about 300,000 people incarcerated in the entire US; prison abolition was considered a likely and intelligent course of action, as it was proven that prison did not lessen crime, but in fact increased it.
instead we got the War on Drugs, and today there are over 2 MILLION people incarcerated, 3/4's of them people of color.
Seriously this is some fucked up shit!
ok, i've finished it now.
the author makes her case well, if a bit dryly.
the part that hits me over the head with it's overt racism is the fact that though all racial and class groups use illegal drugs (or use legal drugs illegally) pretty equally, brown people make up a disproportionate amount of those incarcerated for drug use. the police could bust just as many people for possessing and selling drugs invading a typical frat party as they do harassing people in the ghetto. but the 'war' on drugs has been almost exclusively focused on neighborhoods and illegal drugs associated with brown people.
i agree with the author that our culture of personal responsibility has blinded up to the fact that our country does NOT treat all people equally. our nation has been wildly profitable in large part because of the cheap labor slavery provided, and though that institution has been abolished, we have not been able to eliminate a caste system based on race and class, but rather we create new systems when the old ones are destroyed.
Alexander points out how many people are reliant upon the success of the prison system as it is now, and it makes me wonder how the hell we will ever break it up and start treating drug use as a public health problem and not a criminal justice problem. but i am more convinced than ever that that is the course we need to take.
In the 70's there were only about 300,000 people incarcerated in the entire US; prison abolition was considered a likely and intelligent course of action, as it was proven that prison did not lessen crime, but in fact increased it.
instead we got the War on Drugs, and today there are over 2 MILLION people incarcerated, 3/4's of them people of color.
Seriously this is some fucked up shit!
ok, i've finished it now.
the author makes her case well, if a bit dryly.
the part that hits me over the head with it's overt racism is the fact that though all racial and class groups use illegal drugs (or use legal drugs illegally) pretty equally, brown people make up a disproportionate amount of those incarcerated for drug use. the police could bust just as many people for possessing and selling drugs invading a typical frat party as they do harassing people in the ghetto. but the 'war' on drugs has been almost exclusively focused on neighborhoods and illegal drugs associated with brown people.
i agree with the author that our culture of personal responsibility has blinded up to the fact that our country does NOT treat all people equally. our nation has been wildly profitable in large part because of the cheap labor slavery provided, and though that institution has been abolished, we have not been able to eliminate a caste system based on race and class, but rather we create new systems when the old ones are destroyed.
Alexander points out how many people are reliant upon the success of the prison system as it is now, and it makes me wonder how the hell we will ever break it up and start treating drug use as a public health problem and not a criminal justice problem. but i am more convinced than ever that that is the course we need to take.
abenson59's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating and frightening read that is well-researched and well-reasoned. A must read for everyone.
cbwiggy's review against another edition
4.0
This is important information that every American needs but it's densely written, academic in tone. I wish it were more accessible and anecdotal. But you need to read it anyway.
petenewlove's review against another edition
5.0
This was a long overdue reading, for me. I'd been wanting to read this for years. Amazing for the depth of history it provides, and its multi-faceted look at both racism and white supremacy.
bearcatbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
If you're not horrified and livid, you're not paying attention. This exposes our broken system point by point, vital to addressing these wrongs and moving forward.
bombycillacedrorum's review against another edition
4.0
If you want a basic overview of the carceral system’s role as race-policer, and how insanely bullshit the war on drugs is, here it is! The chapter on Alexander’s ambivalence toward Obama (written in 2010!) is almost funny in how prescient it is today.
chewedgum's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Michelle Alexander's stunning takedown of the US Criminal Justice system is an absolute must-read. It was a revelation to realize just how much this system disenfranchises people who are not part of the most privileged class. The CJ system is in need of a serious overhaul. The criminalization of drugs alone has cost taxpayers more than a trillion dollars. In 2015, taxpayers paid more than three billion dollars a year to incarcerate people charged with drug offenses. I'd really prefer that my tax dollars go to rehab and social programs for the betterment of society.
I'm sure I have more to say on this book, but I can't think of how to say more than JUST READ THIS BOOK.
Michelle Alexander's stunning takedown of the US Criminal Justice system is an absolute must-read. It was a revelation to realize just how much this system disenfranchises people who are not part of the most privileged class. The CJ system is in need of a serious overhaul. The criminalization of drugs alone has cost taxpayers more than a trillion dollars. In 2015, taxpayers paid more than three billion dollars a year to incarcerate people charged with drug offenses. I'd really prefer that my tax dollars go to rehab and social programs for the betterment of society.
I'm sure I have more to say on this book, but I can't think of how to say more than JUST READ THIS BOOK.