The New Jim Crow Summary and Analysis

In Chapter Five, Alexander creates a detailed analysis of structural racism; a collection of policies that work against people of color yet are officially "colorblind" and non-racist. She uses a birdcage to illustrate her argument. When one observes a birdcage up close, it's a mystery as to why the enclosed bird fails to fly away. After stepping back, however, it is clear that the bird is surrounded by bars—obstacles that work collaboratively to restrict the bird's free movement. Similarly, the War on Drugs and mass incarceration prevents many African Americans from being truly free. The system of mass incarceration has a number of working components. For drug offenders, it begins with the arrest, followed by a period of formal control either through imprisonment, parole or probation. After release, convicts experience the "period of...