The New Jim Crow

Encountering The New Jim Crow:
Reflections on Mass Incarceration and Urban Education

Although I had heard much talk about The New Jim Crow, I had never actually read the book by highly regarded civil rights attorney and legal scholar, Michelle Alexander. The clear and concise work is a devastating indictment of America’s Mass Incarceration policies and a compelling call for change. My first encounter with The New Jim Crow prompted reflection in several areas related to urban education and teaching – starting with thoughts about incorporating the book into the urban literacy classroom.

Michelle Alexander

Reflections on the Text

More than just managing to weave together a wide web of historical, legal, social and political strands of information, Alexander has modeled a new culturally connected research format which heavily relies on language that humanizes the individual victims of Mass Incarceration. In this way, the format documents and demonstrates as it advocates.

Alexander’s text never feels preachy or manipulative. The understatement of her straight-forward language and approach actually serves to highlight the enormity of the human toll. It is shocking to consider the numbers of poor people and people of color locked in our prisons. Most disturbing is the fact that – a felony record forever restricts a person’s opportunities to secure housing, employment and education. Despite having served the full sentence for a drug-related conviction – released prisoners remain trapped behind the label of “felon,” permanent members of the American undercaste.

Portions of Alexander’s book could also be used in the urban literacy classroom to supplement study of works of fiction – specifically, Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, which contemplates many of the concepts Alexander explores related to “racial” stereotypes, media images, perception and self-identity.



Reflections on Self

The topics in Michelle Alexander’s book hit close to home. My family has been impacted in many ways by policing, drug laws and drug enforcement policies. My father served 20 years on the local police force in my hometown – McKeesport, PA – which is just outside of Pittsburgh. My father was, in fact, the city’s first Black chief of police. So from an early age, I was aware of crime, criminality and the law. As the son of an officer, my perceptions about “The Police” were not typical of the other young people of color with whom I went to school.

ed.

These and other family-related situations and experiences have certainly shaped my views about drugs and policing issues as they relate to young people of color. Unlike the views that would perhaps be held by a White person with little actual interaction with the Black community, I appreciate that stereotypes and media images are not real and that each person swept up in the War on Drugs is an individual with an individual story. I understand how prevalent drugs are in certain neighborhoods and some of the common attitudes toward drugs. As the son of a police officer I can also appreciate some of the law enforcement perspectives.



Reflections on Community

While the specter of Mass Incarceration is grim, this is not reflected in the physical buildings and spaces connected to the justice system.  Visiting the clean, quiet, orderly local police station, County Courthouse and Family Justice Center produces a feeling of sanity and security – a jarring disconnect with the feel of the justice system described in Alexander’s book. The courthouse is anything but grim, with its tall, shiny beams, polished floors and bright signage. The staff is professional and polite, and even the security guards are relaxed and friendly. From a government perspective, justice is being dispensed in well-lit, well-cared for, well-ordered institutions. The only witness to Jim Crow is peeking into windows of courtrooms on dozens of floors and keeping count of how many of the defendants are people of color. But, as a community space, the physical encounter with our justice system betrays no hint of the vicious cycle of Mass Incarceration in America.



Reflections on School Policies

Alexander’s outline of the New Jim Crow system is here related to aspects of the school system.

New Jim Crow

1. "War on Drugs"
2. "Mass incarceration policies . . . are a comprehensive and well-disguised system of racialized control that functions in a manner strikingly similar to Jim Crow."
3. "Federal drug authorities publicized the problem, using scare tactics to generate support."
4. ". . . expansion of law enforcement activities in America's inner city neighborhoods. . .”
5. "More aggressive enforcement of federal drug laws resulted in a dramatic increase in street level arrests for possession."
6. ". . . a growing and permanent undercaste" . . . "stigmatized racial group locked into inferior position by law and custom"

Schooling & Discipline Policies

1. “Accountability Movement” “Zero Tolerance”
2. Statistics on the types of students subjected to removal from the general classroom, suspensions and expulsions reveal part of a disguised system of racialized control.
3. Politicization and news media marketing of urban school failure and discipline problems.
4. Students who are failing, for whatever reasons, are labeled and tracked, leading to de facto school segregation
5. Focus on testing – leading to student labeling and tracking; tying test scores to teacher evaluations – leading to school staff cheating.
6. Once swept up in the school's behavioral system – or given a particular label – children of color become academically marginalized.

Reflections on Students

To gain a bit of insight into urban family perspectives, I viewed the stories of two young people – Christel (15-years-old) and Demetria (14 years-old) – who were featured in a 2014 PBS report entitled, Prison State: An intimate look at the cycle of mass incarceration in America.

Both teenagers are from Beecher Terrace, a housing project in Louisville, Kentucky where a large majority of the neighborhood has been to jail or prison. In this community, incarceration has been thoroughly normalized. The report notes that many of the incarcerated are people returning to prison for technical violations – not adhering to the conditions of their release in some way – rather than for committing a new crime. This applies to Christel and Demetria. For both, ongoing involvement with the system centers on probation violations.

Christel lives with her mom. For most of Christel’s life, her father has been in and out of prisons. She says her father, uncles and most of her cousins “are all in jail.” The lack of a relationship with her father seems to be central to Christel’s story. Christel mentions her father’s absence several times, as does her mother who believes it is a major contributing factor to Christel’s emotional and social maladjustments. As a student, Christel’s mother says her daughter would sometimes “act up” in elementary school but that it was when she went to middle school that “things got really bad.” Christel has been diagnosed as a student dealing with Bipolar disorder and ADHD. Her main schooling violations seem to be truancy and fighting. She was eventually sent to some sort of “alternative school” which is not described in the PBS report but which clearly was not a place that served her needs. The system was busy correcting Christel but failed at connecting with her. Christel’s mother speaks of her dilemma as a parent, explaining that her daughter leaves for school but does not actually go, forcing her to take out a ”Beyond Control Warrant” so she won't be prosecuted for Christel’s truancy. Along with charges for skipping school, Christel was, at one point, charged with the violation of “Resisting Arrest” after a school fight. This resulted in several negative interactions with the criminal system. Christel, who made at least one suicide attempt, offers the following self-assessment: “I'm an evil pathetic problem child. I'm useless . . . I'm tired. I'm confused . . . I'm just ready to die."

Demetria, whose mother was murdered, lives in Beecher Terrace with her aunt. Demetria is described by her aunt as extremely angry and defiant, saying, "she doesn't like for people to tell her what to do." Of course this leads to trouble in the typical school environment. A social worker asks Demetria, “How mad are you on a scale of one to ten?” Without hesitation, she responds, “Ten.” The root causes of her anger are not fully identified or explored in the PBS program, but the loss of her mother can fairly be assumed to be a major factor. Demetria’s father is not mentioned. For whatever reasons, he has no presence in the young girl’s story. Demetria has a record of truancy and behavior violations at school. She was also once jailed for assaulting her aunt. The report does not list any specific cognitive or emotional behavioral disorder, but it is clear that the young lady is wrestling with intense emotional issues. She continues to have difficulties at home and school because she has an inability to handle her own emotions. At the time of the report, Demetria is being housed in a juvenile shelter. Prior to violating her probation and running away from the shelter, Demetria expresses some powerful thoughts about her future. How could the system fail to connect with this? –  “I'm going to finish school. I'm going to be something when I grow up."




Reflections on Urban Teaching

Mack

While teaching Language Arts at North Senior Academy (NSA), I had many varied discussions and interactions with students centered on drug use, prison and policing. I recall my dealings with one specific student – hereafter referred to as Mack. Mack was hardly a “model student,” but he had a good head on his shoulders. He had street smarts, and despite some poor work habits, he had a solid attendance record and knew how to “do school” well enough to pass.

I assumed he may have been a marijuana smoker, but if so, I felt it was none of my business. I certainly never thought he was using drugs at school. As far as I was concerned, Mack was a real person, living in the real world, doing the best he could to get through school. Based on talk from students, I knew that Mack had somewhat of a notorious reputation, but he was generally very respectful of the classroom rules and of me personally. However, the other teachers on the NSA staff (all White) saw Mack quite differently. Because his movements and mannerisms were sluggish, his eyes were often sleepy looking, and his disposition was somewhat oppositional and cocky – the teachers were convinced Mack had a drug problem. It went from teacher lounge complaints and conversations to the point where Mack was named during a staff meeting as needing special interventions and calls home. Somewhat aware of Mack’s family situation, I saw this as needless, pointless and potentially disruptive and damaging to Mack – however, I did not speak up in his defense. At the time, I simply did not want to interject myself into the situation. In retrospect, I see that my selfish silence contributed to what I knew amounted to unfair harassment and a bit of hysteria. There never were any inventions, but subsequently, on two occasions, Mack was sent home from school on the report of a single teacher who, in both instances, claimed she had noticed Mack smelling of marijuana.

I eventually spoke privately with the student. It turned out to be a very enlightening and humbling conversation. Although he said he definitely had not been smoking pot on either occasion, he nonetheless, happily agreed to leave the building when confronted about the smell – so he could go home early. He laughed about it, saying the teacher thought she was hassling him, when actually she was doing him a favor: he got out of classes. The school never officially disciplined Mack, filed formal accusations against him or, as far as he knew, made any sort of record. According to Mack, neither the reporting teacher nor any other staff member ever even contacted his mother about his unacceptable odor problem.

Mack explained that, while smoking pot was no big deal – and most of his family and friends smoked it – in fact, he was not much of a drug user. He revealed that an older brother of his was serving a lengthy prison sentence for drug-related crimes, leading him to decide not to use marijuana or any other drug. Mack expressed that he was extremely scared of going to prison. As for his clothes smelling like pot, Mack explained it was due to the fact that he was often around people who were smoking drugs – including his mother.

So, it turned out that, not only were the other teachers wrong about Mack, even my basic assumptions about him were wrong. I too, believed that he was at least an occasional pot smoker – based only on my perceptions of him and his outward behaviors. In reality, here was a young Black man – with the saggy jeans and saggy posture of the stereotyped drug user from the ‘hood – that had actively chosen to be drug free. Mack did not need interventions for a drug addiction; he actually needed support in his efforts to avoid the trap of drugs while being surrounded by them. He had chosen to stay in school as a way to avoid prison. He directly told me that.

Through this conversation and subsequent interactions with the student, I came to see that Mack’s fears about landing in prison actually explained some of his disruptive behavior and rule-breaking. Mack had experienced the drug-related disasters of friends and family, including shootings and murders. He must have figured that, as long as he wasn’t smoking drugs, gang banging, or involved in any activity that was illegal -- he was being a good kid. Violations of school rules or policies – cursing at teachers or cutting classes – were seen in the context of criminal felonies, and were therefore dismissed as trivial.

In that same sense, I now appreciate that – if a parent’s fear is that, at any moment, the phone will ring with news about a son’s arrest, injury or death, then it is understandable why that parent would shrug off a call from the child’s English teacher about gum-chewing or talking out of turn.



Reflections on Families

Among the potential negative effects of Mass Incarceration policies on urban families as related to student learning and outcomes are the following eight items:
 

• A parent or family member sent away to prison is the removal of a source of student support – not just financial and social, but academic support
  
  
• The new Jim Crow has systematically removed positive adult male role models from neighborhoods and created a vacuum of community leadership
  
  
• The value and importance of an education is diminished when a child feels that four years in prison is as likely a future scenario as four years in college
  
  
• Mass Incarceration fosters a general sense of hopelessness and low expectations
  
  
• Mass Incarceration contributes to the Opportunity Gap in the social and employment sectors
  
  
• A large percentage of parents and students are haphazardly attending school in prisons and detention centers
  
  
• Distrust of police and the criminal justice system transfers to distrust of teachers, school administrators and the education system
  
  
• The new Jim Crow has devastated neighborhoods and thus neighborhood schools

Reflections on School Structures and Systems

I believe it is Joel Spring (Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality) who points out that, by examining the systems devised to deculturalize and miseducate students from particular communities, we can actually see the systems that are needed in order to include, enfranchise and empower their learning. I’m wildly paraphrasing Spring, perhaps going beyond his point, but in any event – such a theory can be applied to the new Jim Crow. In her critique of the wide-ranging social dilemma, Alexander isolates and pinpoints the various systems (belief systems and institutional structures) used to build and maintain a policy of Mass Incarceration. In so doing, Alexander has identified the systems (beliefs, rules and customs) that must be employed in order to fully address and correct the situation.

In this same vein, the creation of a new equitable schooling system – and schools designed to maximize individual learning opportunities – can be contemplated by charting the old system’s components, here expressed as directives and strategies:


To-Do List of a Dead System

• Fashion an environment with an oppositional, top-down dynamic that demands rule compliance from children
  
  
•  Create conditions that demand silence, stillness and suppression of individuality
  
  
• Divide learners into big class sizes of two dozen or more
  
  
• Divide learning into study of discrete subject areas
  
  
• Use a calendar based on antiquated farming needs and a schedule based on factory shift hours
  
  
• Design spaces for a small staff of teachers -- not a large body of individual learners
  
  
• Ignore the various cultural norms, perspectives and priorities of diverse students and families
  
  
• Employ a largely White teacher workforce to educate a culturally diverse student population
  
  
• Isolate certain types of students from the general classroom through discipline policies
  
  
• Label and track certain types of students into groups
  
  
• Maintain mechanisms that will consistently underserve gifted/talented students from certain cultural groups
  
  
• Tie funding to testing and testing to labels like "ineffective teacher" and "failing school"

Reversing Course

Of the deadly components in the above list of structural elements, large class sizes present the biggest nightmare.

By grouping two dozen or more students into one classroom with one teacher, schools create a situation where students are in a crowd. The set-up means that, first and foremost, students have to be quiet and seated – just simply to maintain order. The hidden curriculum is a lesson about what sorts of attitudes, dispositions and behaviors are valued and "good." Large class sizes also communicate an almost Orwellian worldview of schooling – where every student will be fed the same instruction and assessed in the same way, so the size or make-up of a class is of no consequence. And obviously, it limits teachers’ ability to differentiate, individualize and build productive relationships.

The reverse of this structural element?

Reduce the average class size to 8 - 10 students. While expensive, use of flexible rotating scheduling, time modules, learning teams and other creative ways to organize a responsive schedule with appropriately sized classes would significantly reduce staffing costs. Still, the expense would be quite a leap from the nation’s present level of investment in education. The effort would require a doubling of the teacher workforce with an intentionally diverse new group of educators and specialists, and a reorganization of the physical settings and curricular systems where teachers interact with students.

Four top structural change priorities:

• Wrap-around (social, medical) services
  
  
• Diversify the urban teacher workforce
  
  
• Common Core curriculum for content and proficiency expectation consistency across systems (including juvenile detention centers and prison systems)
  
  
• Urban classroom discussion, investigation and critical consideration of incarceration issues