Michelle Alexander The Lockdown Analysis

We live in a society where ethnic minorities are target for every minimal action and/or crimes, which is a cause to be sentenced up to 50 years in jail. African Americans and Latinos are the ethnic minorities with highest policing crimes. In chapter two of Michelle Alexander’s book, The Lockdown, we are exposed to the different “crimes” that affects African American and Latino minorities. The criminal justice system is a topic discussed in this chapter that argues the inequality that people of color as well as other Americans are exposed to not knowing their rights. Incarceration rates, unreasonable suspicions, and pre-texts used by officers are things that play a huge role in encountering the criminal justice system, which affects the way

Many ethnic minorities, and often times U.S citizens as well, do not know the amendments that protects them. For example, the fourth amendment that gives people the right to deny any unreasonable searches without a warrant. “Many Americans do not know what the 4h Amendment of the U.S constitution actually says or what it requires of the police” (pg.61). Many times fear takes over an individual and therefore, he/she feels forced to do what an officer requests them to do when in reality they have the right to deny them. When people get pulled over or have a police officer knocking on their door makes individuals feel unlawful. Not to mention all the undocumented people that feel oppressed by officers and scared to talk back to them with a “no”. In chapter two, the author presents a section titled Just Say No. In this section the author illustrates a time where two police officers stopped a bus to search for drugs. Police officers never warned individuals that they had the right to remain silent and, therefore, minorities were trapped and found guilty for carrying drugs. In addition, the book discusses the Florida vs Botsick case that states that people have the right to refuse answering the police. As Americans we have the rights that we hardly ever use. We don’t feel entitled to use our rights and therefore cops can get away with whatever they want. Ethnic minorities are targeted when they do

Police officers are always looking for a target and they end up finding the perfect person to penalize. For example, many people are usually shocked when they find out that the reason they were pulled over was not, in fact, against the law, and end up penalized. In my opinion police officers should really focus on stopping crimes such as rapes, robbery, murders etc. Those crimes should have high penalties, but crimes such as speeding, driving without a license, carrying a small amount of drug should not equal the same prison time for a major crime for ethnic minorities. Therefore, unreasonable suspicions, pre-texts used by officers and jail time are things that play a huge role regarding the criminal justice system that affects the way ethnic minorities are