--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a criminal you have scarcely more…" description: "\"As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. We have not ended..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png" --- # As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably… ![“As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png) > “As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that modern criminal justice functions as a new racial caste system, granting limited rights and respect to those incarcerated, similar to historic Jim Crow oppression. **In simple terms:** Modern incarceration acts as a new racial caste system. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge systemic bias. Themes racial injustice criminal justice systemic oppression caste rights Mood critical somber determined Type analytical call to action When to use this quote - legal reform - community activism - policy advocacy - education on bias Key Concepts structural racism mass incarceration social stratification Questions to Reflect On - How does the criminal justice system reinforce racial hierarchies? - What reforms can dismantle this modern caste? A Different Perspective The comparison may overlook differences in legal status and agency between groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Castes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castes/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Jim crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jim-crow/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Racial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-have-not-ended-racial-caste-in-america-we-have-merely-redesigned-it/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I say we haven't ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/i-say-we-haven-t-ended-racial-caste-in-america-we-have-merely/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“The language of caste may well seem foreign or unfamiliar to some. Public discussions about racial caste in America are relatively rare. We avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-language-of-caste-may-well-seem-foreign-or-unfamiliar-to-some/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The very rights that we supposedly won for African Americans in the civil rights movement no longer exist for those labeled felons. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-very-rights-that-we-supposedly-won-for-african-americans-in-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The fact that more than half of the young black men in any large American city are currently under the control of the criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-fact-that-more-than-half-of-the-young-black-men-in-any-large/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I do believe that something akin to a racial caste system is alive and well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/i-do-believe-that-something-akin-to-a-racial-caste-system-is-alive/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The extraordinary nature of individual black achievement in formerly white domain certainly does suggest that the old Jim Crow is dead, but it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-extraordinary-nature-of-individual-black-achievement-in-formerly/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We must muster the courage, we must find the will, we must do what is necessary to build a truly transformative movement that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-must-muster-the-courage-we-must-find-the-will-we-must-do-what-is/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we want to do more than just end mass incarceration—if we want to put an end to the history of racial caste in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-want-to-do-more-than-just-end-mass-incarceration-if-we-want-to/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [As described in 'The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,' the cyclical rebirth of caste in America is a recurring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-described-in-the-new-jim-crow-mass-incarceration-in-the-age-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The cyclical rebirth of caste in America is a recurring racial nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-cyclical-rebirth-of-caste-in-america-is-a-recurring-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“The fact that some African Americans have experienced great success in recent years does not mean that something akin to a racial caste system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-fact-that-some-african-americans-have-experienced-great-success/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Once you're labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination - employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/once-you-re-labeled-a-felon-the-old-forms-of-discrimination/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Arguably the most important parallel between mass incarceration and Jim Crow is that both have served to define the meaning and significance of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/arguably-the-most-important-parallel-between-mass-incarceration-and/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-race-neutral-language-was-developed-for-appealing-to-old-racist/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More by Michelle Alexander > [If you ask for good schools, you aren't likely to get them. If you ask for jobs or economic investment, you won't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-ask-for-good-schools-you-aren-t-likely-to-get-them-if-you-ask/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Seeing race is not the problem. Refusing to care for the people we see is the problem. The fact that the meaning of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/seeing-race-is-not-the-problem-refusing-to-care-for-the-people-we-see/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“That was King’s dream—a society that is capable of seeing each of us, as we are, with love. That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Activists take the risks, while advocates are professional tinkerers with the system. What's necessary is for those who are advocates to support those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/activists-take-the-risks-while-advocates-are-professional-tinkerers/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Civil rights protests were frequently depicted as criminal rather than political in nature, and federal courts were accused of excessive “lenience” toward lawlessness, thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/civil-rights-protests-were-frequently-depicted-as-criminal-rather/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We cannot 'fix' the police without a revolution of values and radical change to the basic structure of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-cannot-fix-the-police-without-a-revolution-of-values-and-radical/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ “\[T\]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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-moment-in-the-sun-then-moved-back/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Explore all 381 Michelle Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More Alabama quotes > [Alabama soldiers, all I ask of you is to keep up with the Texans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/alabama-soldiers-all-i-ask-of-you-is-to-keep-up-with-the-texans/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [“Alabama in 1927 alone, 27,701 men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and offered for sale by county sheriffs. In Blackmon’s estimation, “roughly half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/alabama-in-1927-alone-27-701-men-were-arrested-on-misdemeanor-charges/) [Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/) > [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The great thing that I appreciate - the fact that my godfather, William 'Sticky' Jackson, was a Tuskegee Airman because my father was first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/the-great-thing-that-i-appreciate-the-fact-that-my-godfather-william/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [I'll never forget where I came from, and that my home is forever Sweet Home Alabama!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bearer/i-ll-never-forget-where-i-came-from-and-that-my-home-is-forever-sweet/) Paul Bearer > [Alabama's a football state and you really don't get too many basketball players out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/alabama-s-a-football-state-and-you-really-don-t-get-too-many/) [Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/) > [When I was growing up in Alabama in the '50s, even though we were poor and the laws were against blacks, we still had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lee-peterson/when-i-was-growing-up-in-alabama-in-the-50s-even-though-we-were-poor/) [Jesse Lee Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lee-peterson/) > [May God continue to bless sweet home Alabama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ivey/may-god-continue-to-bless-sweet-home-alabama/) [Kay Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ivey/) > [Because Republicans defected and voted with all the Democrats to reject Jeff Sessions' nomination when they discovered that when he was working as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/because-republicans-defected-and-voted-with-all-the-democrats-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [My uncle is a Southern planter. He's an undertaker in Alabama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/my-uncle-is-a-southern-planter-he-s-an-undertaker-in-alabama/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [On his 916th game as coach at University of Alabama - I've been here so long that when I got here the Dead Sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfrey-sanderson/on-his-916th-game-as-coach-at-university-of-alabama-i-ve-been-here-so/) Winfrey Sanderson > [Beginning in June, Alabama seniors previously without prescription drug coverage should begin to see savings of between 10 and 25 percent on their medications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rogers/beginning-in-june-alabama-seniors-previously-without-prescription/) [Mike Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rogers/) > [It is my goal as governor to steady the ship of state and improve the image of Alabama, part of that entails ending unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ivey/it-is-my-goal-as-governor-to-steady-the-ship-of-state-and-improve-the/) [Kay Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ivey/) > [The BP settlement is a victory for Alabama: not only for the amount of compensation we were able to secure, but also for avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/the-bp-settlement-is-a-victory-for-alabama-not-only-for-the-amount-of/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [I had an art teacher who's the reason I got there in high school who encouraged me to go to Alabama. That's where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/i-had-an-art-teacher-who-s-the-reason-i-got-there-in-high-school-who/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) Browse all 371 Alabama quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rights-and-arguably-less-respect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alabama" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rights-and-arguably-less-respect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/michelle-alexander-750_alabama_as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rig_1710631.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michelle Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a criminal you have scarcely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rights-and-arguably-less-respect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-a-criminal-you-have-scarcely-more-rights-and-arguably-less-respect/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```