On monday, the aclu is sending a letter to the head of new jerseys prison system, demanding that some state prisons lift their ban on inmates reading the new jim crow, michelle alexanders awardwinning book that details how the war on drugs and mass incarceration have devastated people of color. The twoway critics said new jersey puts black residents behind bars at a. Michelle alexander dedicates her book, the new jim crow, to the. Smart justice is fighting in the legislatures, the courts, in the voting booth, and in the streets to end mass incarceration by addressing. New jersey prisons end ban on the new jim crow after. The mass incarceration of the elderly, aclu 2012 prison. Since 1970, our incarcerated population has increased by 700% 2. The new jersey department of corrections has lifted a ban on a book that links racial discrimination and mass incarceration after the aclu called the prohibition unconstitutional and demanded the department reverse its position. The aclu new jersey chapter made the discovery as a result of a public records request. How to cut kansas incarceration by 50% aclu of kansas. Inmates at the new jersey state prison in trenton and southern state correctional facility in delmont were barred from reading michelle alexanders 2010 book, the new jim crow. New jersey prisons reverse course on banning the new jim crow. Under fire from aclu, new jersey reverses ban on book about mass incarceration. Under fire from aclu, new jersey reverses ban on book about mass incarceration npr news ideastream.
Classification, geriatric classification, statisticstrends, failure. New jersey prisons lift ban on awardwinning book the new. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, her bestselling book that examines how racial injustice fuels the epidemic of mass incarceration in the united states, michelle alexander writes, i am writing this book for all those trapped within americas latest caste system. Thats why the aclu campaign for smart justice works in all 50 states to push for reforms. The new jersey department of corrections lifted a ban at some state prisons on michelle alexanders acclaimed 2010 book the new jim crow. She is best known for her 2010 book the new jim crow. The new jersey department of corrections has lifted a ban on a book that links racial discrimination and mass incarceration after the aclu called. How the 1994 crime bill fed the mass incarceration. Civil rights book banned in new jersey prisons, along with. Overcrowding and the overuse of imprisonment in the united states. How incarcerating women fuels our mass incarceration crisis.
Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness in north carolina prisons the book appears on the states master list of disapproved publication sic. Nj prisons lift ban on jim crow book after aclu complains. For barr, mass incarceration had no negative effects the most common. In a letter sent to the new jersey department of corrections, the aclu asked the two prisons to allow inmates to access the book, citing the states reported high disparity in incarceration rates. The fight for reform to end mass incarceration is a state and local issue. William barr was an ardent champion of mass incarceration. The new jersey department of corrections has lifted a ban on a book that links racial discrimination and mass incarceration after the aclu. Michelle alexander was featured in the netflix documentary th on the subject. New jersey officials say theyll lift ban on book the new. Raleigh the american civil liberties union of north carolina is demanding that the state department of public safety immediately lift its unconstitutional ban on michelle alexanders the new jim crow. Coinciding with the start of sexual assault awareness month, the fully revised and updated fourth edition of the rights of women was released this week. Bowing to aclu lawsuit, south carolina jail lifts book ban.
For the state burdened with this systemic injustice to prohibit prisoners from reading a book about race and mass incarceration is ironic. Since 1978, the united states prison population has risen over 400 percent, according to the aclu. Your gift will fund our critical work to protect voting rights, demand that vulnerable people in prisons, jails and immigration detention centers be. Overcrowding and overuse of imprisonment in the united. Ban on book about mass incarceration lifted in new jersey. By sagiv galai, paralegal, aclu criminal law reform project. Ban on book about mass incarceration lifted in new jersey prisons. Two new jersey will no longer ban a popular book about racial injustice and mass incarceration after a request from the aclu to stop the unconstitutional censorship.
Thanks in part to michelle alexanders 2012 book, the new jim crow. The aclu campaign for smart justice is an unprecedented, multiyear effort to reduce the u. New jim crow banned in nc prisons, aclu challenges book. A timely new book for the ongoing fight for gender. The latest release in the aclu handbook series, the rights of women is a comprehensive guide that explains in detail the rights that women and girls have under u. New jersey has rolled back a ban on a nationally acclaimed book about race and modern mass incarceration in the u. Over the past four decades, imprisonment in the united states has increased explosively, spurred by criminal laws that impose steep sentences and curtail.
Aclu asks new jersey prison chief to lift ban on book. Still, when you think about the image you have of our mass incarceration crisis. Mass incarceration book ban lifted at new jersey prisons. The american civil liberties union is amassing a small but impressive track record on a particular issue. Its a goto book for the topic of mass incarceration. Michelle alexander born october 7, 1967 is a writer, civil rights advocate, and visiting professor at union theological seminary new york city. One out of every three black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six latino.
Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, we know more about how the criminal justice system disproportionately impacts communities of color. This month, the aclu has overturned bans in new jersey and north carolina, although a florida ban still stands. The american civil liberties union is asking new jersey department of corrections to lift an alleged ban of a book that examines the impact of mass incarceration on people of color. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, and the aclu isnt having it. A civil rights advocate and former aclu litigator, professor alexander, in her book, the new jim crow. On any given day in the united states in 2018, nearly 2. The book alleges that mass incarceration of africansamericans has kept them disenfranchised and poor. Two new jersey prisons have banned michelle alexanders book on mass incarceration, the new jim crow. The new jim crow after advocacy from our colleagues at the aclu of new jersey. The american civil liberties union wants new jersey corrections officials to allow inmates to read a bestselling book on mass incarceration and racial discrimination. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, makes a case that a new legal caste system is dangerously alive in america. Aclu blasts unconstitutional book ban in new jersey. New jersey prisons lift ban on book after aclu protest.
Nc prisons unban book on race, mass incarceration after. After receiving reports that the book had been banned by certain facilities indoc practice, the american civil liberties union of new jersey aclunj filed an open public records act. The rights of women coauthored by the aclu womens rights projects director, lenora lapidus, deputy director, emily martin, and former staff attorney, namita luthra explores the concept of equal protection and covers topics including employment, education, housing, criminal justice, family law, and public accommodations, and examines the specific issues of trafficking, violence against women, welfare reform, and reproductive freedom. Subtitled mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, alexanders book spent several weeks on us bestseller lists and was hailed as the secular bible of a new social movement by. New jersey lifts prisons ban on new jim crow after aclu. North carolina doesnt want people in prison to read this book. New jersey prisons ban the book new jim crow the aclu. Aclu says nj banning of the new jim crow book in prison. Supreme court justice anthony kennedy, march 23, 2015 i. The banning of a bestselling book, about mass incarceration, from new jersey prisons has been revoked after the aclu got involved, but what.
Aclu wants prisons to end ban on mass incarceration book the state chapter of the civil rights group sent a letter monday asking why at least two prisons have banned the new jim crow by bruce. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by michelle alexander and cornel west. Aclu says nj banning of the new jim crow book in prison is unconstitutional. Aclu calls for north carolina prisons to lift ban on the. The spoils of mass incarceration the united states imprisons more people both per capita and in absolute terms than any other nation in the world, including russia, china, and iran. Updated the new jersey prison system has barred inmates from reading an awardwinning book about racism and mass incarceration, a ban that civil rights lawyers and a former prisoner call. The state prison system will drop a book on racism and mass incarceration from its list of banned books, a spokeswoman said tuesday, following a request from the aclus north carolina chapter. The new jersey department of corrections has lifted a ban on a book that links racial discrimination and mass incarceration after the aclu called the prohibition unconstitutional and demanded the. Aclu attorney tess borden, who drafted the letter, said it was ironic, misguided, and harmful for a state burdened with this systemic injustice to prohibit prisoners from reading a book about race and mass incarceration. According to a letter from the aclu of new jersey to the states department of corrections, at least, two prisons in new jersey have decided to ban michelle alexanders groundbreaking work on the rise of mass incarceration in america, the new jim crow. New jersey said it had lifted the ban on a bestselling book about mass incarceration after the american civil liberties union called for an immediate end to what it said was an ironic. Aclu says nj prison ban of the new jim crow book is.
Despite making up close to 5% of the global population, the u. Aclu challenges corrections corporation of america ceo to public debate about. Critics said new jersey puts black residents behind bars at a rate 12 times the rate of white residents and its unconstitutional to deny those inmates access to information in the book. While mass incarceration is a reality that many know to be true, its a topic rarely covered at. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness from its banned book list. American civil liberties union aclu submission to the office of the high commissioner for human rights may 2015 this idea of total incarceration just isnt working. The american civil liberties union aclu is alleging that two new jersey prisons have banned a book on the rise of mass incarceration in the u. Under fire from aclu, new jersey reverses ban on book. After pressure from the aclu, nc prisons removed michelle alexanders the new jim crow. The state chapter of the civil rights group sent a letter monday asking why at least two prisons have banned the new jim crow. Aclu wants prisons to end ban on mass incarceration book.
Aclu lawsuit charges that jail policy banning books and. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by michelle alexander the new pressshutterstock aclu blasts unconstitutional book ban in new jersey prisons. After being called out by the aclu for banning an awardwinning book about mass incarceration, new jersey said that it. Aclu says the new jim crow prison ban is unconstitutional. The landmark book about race and mass incarceration is banned in a state with the highest racial disparity in its prison population. New jersey corrections officials say a bestselling book on mass incarceration and racial discrimination will now be available to inmates at all state correctional facilities, following a ban that. We must reduce both the number of people entering jails and prisons and the extreme laws and policies that drive extraordinarily long prison terms. But in north carolina, those trapped in that system are not allowed to read. Some new jersey prisons have banned inmates from reading. But she continued to read books that outlined her rights, write to human rights. Imprisonment is a brutal and costly response to violations or possible violations that traumatizes incarcerated people and hurts families and communities. The mass incarceration of the elderly, aclu 2012 aug.
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