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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was the Anti-Drug Abuse Act passed that called for strict lease enforcement and eviction of public housing tenants who engage in criminal activity?

2. The author notes in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand" that two-thirds of people detained in jails report annual incomes under what amount prior to their arrests?

3. Who is the co-founder of the See Forever charter school that is quoted in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

4. The author concludes in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow" that during the age of slavery, white plantation owners were motivated principally by what component?

5. The increase in the number of African American males sent to prison for drug crimes increased by what percentage between 1985 and 2005?

Short Essay Questions

1. When was crack-cocaine introduced to users in the U.S.? What involvement did the government have with the introduction of crack to African American communities?

2. What was determined in the Supreme Court case of Rucker v. Davis?

3. What circumstances led to Clinton Drake's inability to vote?

4. How does the author compare the incarceration rates of blacks and whites in the U.S. for drug offenses versus the statistics of use among blacks and whites in the country?

5. What is noted about Frederick Douglass's speech at the National Colored Convention in 1853 in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand"?

6. What was enacted with the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998?

7. What are the financial debts that a former criminal may face? How much of their wages can be garnished to cover these expenses?

8. What does the author mean when she refers to "second-class citizens" in the book?

9. What is the Baldus study? What were the conclusions of the study?

10. What are the obstacles that former criminals face in terms of finding housing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the repercussions a defendant may face for taking a plea deal instead of facing mandatory sentences for drug offenses? What are some of the examples of costs that a defendant may face after trial? How can these costs oppress a former inmate?

Essay Topic 2

How did the wealthy planter class manage to create a divide between poor white workers and poor black workers in the American colonies? Why did they do so? How did they benefit from this estrangement?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the stigmas and stereotypes regarding former inmates in the U.S. How are these stereotypes and stigmas propagated? What are the impacts of these stereotypes and stigmas for the families of former convicts?

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