Due to my interest in wanting to figure out the life after
being incarcerated, this statement by Michelle Alexander stood out to me. In
Chapter 4 of The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander states, "Today a criminal
freed from prison has scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a
freed slave or a black person living 'free' in Mississippi at the height of Jim
Crow" (141). In this quote Michelle Alexander's compares a freed criminal
to a freed slave. I agree with Alexander about a criminal freed from prison has
more rights than freed slave. Many people believe that Alexander has no right
to make the comparison between the two. I believe Alexander was pretty accurate
in comparing the freed slave and the freed prisoner. Also, I would consider
Alexander's statement to be very controversial because freed individuals has
less of a chance in getting a job that
pays well enough to live a comfortable life. In relation to a freed
slave, they are looked down upon, treated unfairly, and do not have equal
opportunity. Many people would argue the point that a freed slave is nothing
like a freed criminal. A criminal once had rights and made bad choices, which
results in punishment. If that means losing rights, then so be it. A freed
slave never had an opportunity to have a level playing field, in terms of
rights. Therefore, a freed salve can't possibly be compared to a freed
criminal. In my opinion both freed slaves and criminals are looked down upon by
society and are limited automatically on what they can do. This was for sure
one of the most interesting parts in the chapter.
