ENG 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jim Crow Laws

• School: University at Buffalo
• Department: English
• Course: ENG 105
• Professor: chakraborty

Document Summary

Alexander first claims there is a racial caste system in the united. States and argues that mass incarceration in the united states has come to function as a well disguised system of social control similar to the jim crow laws. She says that race is not explicitly used, but rather the criminal justice system is being used as a catalyst for labelling people of colour criminals. Alexander explains the correlation between the what the government has found ways to treat african americans during the era of jim. She uses the example of the denial for the right to vote. She first discusses how in 47 states prisoners are denied the right to vote, just as african americans were not allowed to vote at the height of jim crow laws. She discusses how some states have restricted criminals the right to vote even after they get out of prison.