New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness

When you think of slavery typically your mind wonders to 1800’s during slavery in America, but what many do not realize is that we are currently in the middle of a new slavery system called Mass Incarnation. With the rise of this new system within our Department of Criminal Justice has the biggest injustices between the races and are more divided than ever before. One which corrupts many citizens lives on a daily basis that are stripping away rights to vote, receive assistance, and so much more. Where we have 1 in 3 black men incarcerated compared to 1 in every 17 white men. When did this begin? How did we let it get this far? How can we stop it? These are some of the questions that I am going to be researching for this paper. To provide

There are over 2 million prisoners within our system. According to California Prison Focus, “no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens.” (4) U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world’s prison population, but only 5% of the world’s people. When you see these numbers compared to other countries I know that as a nation we are failing on so many different levels. How did we let this get this far? How are we going to end this

By the government allowing corporations to buy, and build new prisons gave that much more of an incentive to keep the prisons flowing with inmates. According to Vicky Pelaez “Private prisons are the biggest business in the prison industry complex. About 18 corporations guard 10,000 prisoners in 27 states. Private prisons receive a guaranteed amount of money for each prisoner, independent of what it costs to maintain each one.” (6) Once you get trapped inside this prison machine they can and will work for cents a day. We are facing a modern day slave trade, and the sad thing is it is happening right under our noses. We are all buying these products made off the backs of mostly nonviolent African American, in a scheme for the rich to continue staying rich, and the poor getting arrested. Even our military is having the prisoners make their