“Racial Critiques of Mass Incarceration: Beyond the New Jim Crow” SSB

1. Citation: 

Forman, James. “Hein Online.” “Racial Critiques of Mass Incarceration: Beyond the New Jim Crow.,” Apr. 2012, heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/nylr87&id=2154&men_tab=srchresults. Accessed 22 July 2020. 

2. thesis:

I’m not sure if i found the right thesis, but I found something that had word markers to say that it was the writer’s opinion, so I think its part of the thesis. 

“The idea that the Jim Crow analogy leads to a distorted view of mass incarceration – and therefore hampers our ability to change it effectively – is the the central theme of this Article” (25). 

This thesis is saying that there’s problem with the analogy and those problems are making it so that they can’t actually fix the problem that needs fixing. 

3. Argument analysis:

• Forman starts with a hook thats similar to lots of the information that we read in Just Mercy and the New Jim Crow, talking about how mass incarceration is a huge problem and there’s so many people in jail. 
• He then dives into a huge roadmap about what each part of the article is going to be about. This is super useful because we can look back on it if we ever get lost, and it helps us understand the argument as more of a whole before we actually start reading it. 
• The big point of this article is that Forman, even though he has lots of similar ground, is disagreeing with the analogy because its going to lead to misunderstandings of the causes and consequences, and that misunderstanding will make it harder to actually do the work that has to be done to take down mass incarceration

1. The first section gives lots of background information that we’re already pretty familiar with, but obviously its important to share it in this article too and we can hear another perspective too
2. This section gives ample voice to the “they say” of the people who agree with the new jim crow analogy. This is super important because it lets Forman come in stronger because hes not trying to twist the other argument at all, he’s letting them fully show their side and then using that to help him make his point better. Its very impressive. 

• He mostly emphasizes how the system makes its people permanent outcasts, and how poor black people are at a significantly higher threat of being sucked into the system
• He disagrees with what the analogy obscures

3. This section talks about how there actually was an increase in crime before incarceration rates began to rise (p. 36)

• This is really interesting because this is the opposite of what Alexander says in her book when she talks about the War on Drugs
• Forman talks about how there was a rise in crime, and there was a rise in black activists calling for harsher sentences. 
• This is an integral part of his argument because he is directly disagreeing with Alexander here. 

4. This section talks about how many black citizens supported the policies that made mass incarceration. I think this is actually his weakest point

• He looks at the example of DC, which is a black-majority jurisdiction, and basically there was no difference and they weren’t trying to decrease prison rates or make less harsh sentences. 
• I don’t think this point works as well, because it talks about how there’s some black people who aren’t trying to change system like Paul Butler, but there are lots who do want to. That small number of black people aren’t everyone. 

5. This is the best argument of the article. This part talks about how its not only drugs that get people into jail, its other crimes like violent crimes too, and those are the crimes that kinda matter. 

• Even if you released all the drug offender prisoners, we would still have the biggest prison system in the world. 
• The analogy, by focusing only on drug offenders and making it sound like thata the main thing, undermine and ignore the fact that half the people in jail are there for violent crimes. Thats a big deal, and thats a great argument for this article.  
• We have to change how we respond to all crimes, not just drug offenses. 

6. It doesn’t affect all black people the same, mostly just the lower class

• Forman uses this part of the book to point out a part of Alexander’s argument that she needs to think about more

7. The analogy fails to talk about white and hispanic people in jail

• I actually think that this point doesn’t apply to Alexander’s book at all, because she clarifies that she is only going to talk about incarcerated black men, and she wants other people to build off her work. However, as a whole, this point does show how the analogy can become pretty narrow and fail to see the other people affected by the system too

8. This point brings in some emotional appeal and reminds us what the original jim crow is. I like ending on this one, because its a good reminder to leave us with and with the actual history to ponder along with the rest of the article
   

IV.  A) I like that in section 5 theres a really good ‘so what?’ question thats then answered with voice markers to show that its changing to the writers opinion. Its really well done (47). 

B) I also like that this article works to look critically at specific examples given in Alexander’s book, such as her intro example. Instead of just getting pulled in through the emotional appeal, it critically looks at the examples. 

C) I also like that at the end, when its starting to drag, Forman starts bringing in more examples, and it helps to lighten it as we read