Book contents
- Mass Incarceration Nation
- Mass Incarceration Nation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I What Is Mass Incarceration?
- Part II The Building Blocks of Mass Incarceration
- 5 A Crime Surge
- 6 Repeating Patterns
- 7 Legislating More Punishment and Less Rehabilitation
- 8 The Futility of Fighting Crime with Criminal Law
- 9 The Role of Race
- Part III The Mechanics of Mass Incarceration
- Part IV The Road to Recovery
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Index
9 - The Role of Race
from Part II - The Building Blocks of Mass Incarceration
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 November 2022
- Mass Incarceration Nation
- Mass Incarceration Nation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I What Is Mass Incarceration?
- Part II The Building Blocks of Mass Incarceration
- 5 A Crime Surge
- 6 Repeating Patterns
- 7 Legislating More Punishment and Less Rehabilitation
- 8 The Futility of Fighting Crime with Criminal Law
- 9 The Role of Race
- Part III The Mechanics of Mass Incarceration
- Part IV The Road to Recovery
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Index
Summary
The long reach of racism in American society is an important part of the Mass Incarceration story, but contrary to some recent accounts, the two phenomena are not the same. There are aspects of Mass Incarceration that can best be explained through a race lens and others that cannot. This chapter offers a way to distinguish between these aspects and explains why the distinction matters in understanding the rise of Mass Incarceration and the prospects for reform.
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- Information
- Mass Incarceration NationHow the United States Became Addicted to Prisons and Jails and How It Can Recover, pp. 77 - 92Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022