View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The author asserts in Chapter 3: "The Color of Justice" that in the federal system, homicide offenders account for 0.4% of the past decade's growth in the federal prison population while drug offenders account for what percent of that expansion?

2. The author asserts in The New Jim Crow that no one has more power in the criminal justice system than whom?

3. The author states in Chapter 3: "The Color of Justice," "Human Rights Watch reported in 2000 that, in seven states, African Americans constitute" what percent "of all drug offenders sent to prison"?

4. In Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow" the author describes a speech that Barack Obama gave during his presidential campaign. Where was the speech given?

5. Where was Clinton Drake arrested for possession of marijuana?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the media and propaganda contribute to the stereotype of the poor African American drug user?

2. How does political disenfranchisement apply to Jim Crow and mass incarceration, according to the author in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

3. How does the author assert drug-law enforcement is different than other types of law enforcement in Chapter 3: "The Color of Justice"?

4. What is the "Black Box" that the author refers to in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand"?

5. How is Iris Marion Young's "birdcage" metaphor described in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

6. How does the author describe the crime statistics of Chicago in regard to race in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

7. 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?

8. When did Whren v. United States go before the Supreme Court? What was the Court's decision?

9. What was enacted with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the history of African slavery in the United States. When did slavery emerge? When did the Transatlantic Slave Trade end? When was slavery abolished and what forms of oppression followed it?

Essay Topic 2

Why was Brown v. Board of Education a significant Supreme Court ruling? How did this case change society between African Americans and whites in the South? How did it impact life in the North?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample