Introduction
“The New Jim Crow” book, written by Michelle Alexander, underlines the similarity between the marginalization of the black community and the discrimination against ex-offenders in the United States. During her TED Talk, when she presented her new book, she touched on the topic of discrimination in housing, voting rights, and employment. This paper will prove that Michelle Alexander’s claims are justified and that convicted felons are subject to discrimination, just as the black population was during slavery.
Justification of Michelle Alexander’s Mindset Regarding New Slavery
The most convincing of Michelle Alexander’s arguments highlights how widespread incarceration robs criminals of their rights, even after they have completed their terms. For instance, prejudice against convicted offenders in housing and employment exists. They risk losing their ability to vote and their eligibility for government benefits like food stamps.
Felons may also have up to 100% of their income taken from them if they are hired to pay court costs (TEDx Talks, 2013). Moreover, the author stresses that after being released from prison, offenders experience situations that are startlingly comparable to those endured by African Americans during the Jim Crow era. Thus, according to Michelle Alexander, felons receive fewer opportunities and have a lower quality of life, which is comparable to the living conditions of blacks during the Jim Crow era.
Furthermore, Michelle Alexander claims that the current prison system is contributing to an increased number of crimes committed by felons. She stresses that high recidivism rates are a result of these systemic hurdles, which also keep many Black Americans trapped in a cycle of poverty (TEDx Talks, 2013). Alexander demonstrates how the existing criminal justice system and anti-black beliefs have shattered any ambitions of establishing a society that prioritizes rehabilitation above punishment.
In terms of housing, ex-felons are facing as much discrimination as the black population during segregation. Housing discrimination takes many forms, such as when landlords, property managers, and real estate brokers give certain groups less access to view available housing and provide less information about specific houses (Evans et al., 2019). Even after the point of renting, discrimination may lead to subpar upkeep of rental properties, harassment from property managers or neighbors, and unequal enforcement of local laws (Evans et al., 2019). This makes ex-felons similar to ethnic minorities in terms of marginalization, as they, too, suffer from fewer options in housing.
Furthermore, recent studies found that ex-offenders indeed find it difficult to fulfill their basic human needs. Regardless of whether the crime involved drugs or sexual offenses, studies discovered significant negative repercussions for persons looking for apartments who have a criminal record (Evans et al., 2019). According to the study, the felon designation serves as a gateway into a world of discriminatory consequences and bad stigma, at least in the context of housing. Research stresses that if ex-offenders are unable to find accommodation, they not only increase the number of homeless people but also are likely to commit new crimes in order to survive (Evans et al., 2019). Thus, the current prison system of the US and the stigma that ex-felons are assigned create a feedback loop where felons are forced to commit more crimes to survive, which leads to repeated incarceration.
Conclusion
To summarize, Michelle Alexander’s perspective on the prison system is entirely justified. Ex-felons do suffer from a lower number of opportunities in terms of housing and employment and are subject to harassment, just like the blacks during the Jim Crow era. This leads them into a situation where they are forced by the system to turn to crime in order to sustain themselves, ultimately leading them back into prison. This paper has proven that ex-felons suffer from extreme marginalization and stigma imposed on them by the system and society at large. Thus, policies need to be put in motion so that the US can move to a more rehabilitative prison system.
References
Evans, D. N., Blount-Hill, K., & Cubellis, M. A. (2019). Examining housing discrimination across race, gender, and felony history. Housing Studies, 34(5), 761-778. Web.
TEDx Talks. (2013). The future of race in America: Michelle Alexander at TEDxColumbus [Video]. YouTube. Web.