Caste system Quote by Michelle Alexander
““of the nearly 7.3 million people currently under correctional control, only 1.6 million are in prison.27 This caste system extends far beyond prison walls and governs millions of people who are on probation and parole, primarily for nonviolent offenses. They have been swept into the system, branded criminals or felons, and ushered into a permanent second-class status—acquiring records that will follow them for life.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander, 2010
Mass incarceration creates a caste system extending beyond prisons, imposing lifelong stigma on millions.
In simple terms: Mass incarceration creates a lifelong caste.
Key Takeaway
Challenge systemic injustice.
Themes
justice
race
incarceration
systemic inequality
Mood
somber
urgent
Type
analytical
advocacy
When to use this quote
- Policy debate
- activist organizing
- personal advocacy
Key Concepts
Criminal justice reform
social stratification
Questions to Reflect On
- How can society dismantle the caste of incarceration?
- What role does public perception play?
A Different Perspective
Reforming laws alone may not erase deep social stigma.
![“Eventually [black men] are arrested, whether they've committed any serious crime or not, and branded criminals or felons for life. Upon release, they're ushered into a parallel social universe in which the civil and human rights supposedly won during the Civil Rights Movement no longer apply to…” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b57/michelle-alexander-750_arrested_eventually-black-men-are-arrested-whethe_348081.jpg)
![“[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)
