This essay will focus on the incarceration and the war on drugs of the black community and minority in the United States. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander discusses who America's minority is in the war on drugs. What will be discussed in this article or the question I will answer is: What is the impact of the War on Drugs on low-income people and communities of color, particularly African Americans? How has the War on Drugs disenfranchised much of the American population? How have race and class influenced the operation of the criminal justice system, particularly as it relates to policing, drug law enforcement, and sentencing? Do you agree or disagree with Alexander's assertion that the current criminal justice system has resulted in a "new Jim Crow"? Why or why not? What impact has the War on Drugs had on low-income people and communities of color, particularly African Americans? The war on drugs has made it difficult for people to find jobs and survive. When you are arrested for drugs, you are labeled a criminal, making it difficult to obtain benefits that everyone should have housing, jobs, food stamps, and licenses. It also doesn't allow them to vote for 12 years or forever. Which then brings people back to the streets with nothing and/or selling drugs to survive or make a living. Then it becomes a cycle of drugs and prison, over and over again. “According to a study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 30 percent of the released prisoners in its sample were rearrested within six months of their release. In three years, nearly 68 percent were rearrested at least once for a new offense. (Alexander, Michelle. The new Jim Crow: mass incarceration in the age of color blindness. p. 94) Since they are not middle of paper...... o get a job and get the help you need to get back on your feet. Which forces them to sell drugs or find other illegal ways to survive. Race and class have played a significant role in the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system needs to be fixed and we need to reduce the incarceration rate and provide equal prison time for the crimes they commit. People, especially minorities, when it comes time to seek justice, white people receive lesser sentences than them. The new Jim Crow of the penal system will continue and we are convinced that this will cause major problems in the near future. Until we, as a people, come together to change the system, help people find jobs, and give them the help they need to start fresh. As a people we are going to endure this great downward spiral of the economy and have an unjust and broken system. we can't change the big things until we change what affects them.