Crime Quote by Michelle Alexander
“I think most people have a general sense that when you're released from prison, life is hard, but, you know, if you work hard and apply self-discipline and stay out of trouble, you can make it. But that's true only for a relative few.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Jim Crow, 2010
Hard work and discipline help ex‑prisoners, but only a few succeed due to systemic barriers.
In simple terms: Success after prison is rare despite effort.
Key Takeaway
Address systemic obstacles, not just personal effort.
Themes
justice
rehabilitation
inequality
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
social
policy
When to use this quote
- employment
- housing
- education for former inmates
Key Concepts
systemic racism
social policy
recidivism
Questions to Reflect On
- What reforms aid reintegration?
- How can society reduce recidivism?
A Different Perspective
Ignores structural reforms.
![“[T]he slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. —W.E.B Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America For” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fdb/michelle-alexander-750_slavery_t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-momen_96485.jpg)
