Most recent public comments by Isabelle Lotocki de Veligost https://nowcomment.com/users/51158 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309305 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309305 I think this is a really good point about supply and demand. I think it also can extend to the prison industrial complex and the high demand for cheap labor and profit. Because cheap labor is so profitable, there is high demand for workers and therefore prisoners, which further exacerbates high arrest and imprisonment rates particularly for individuals of color. Wed, 27 Mar 2019 23:07:10 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309302 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309302 I think your comparison between the caste in India and the new caste system in the US are very on point. To further support your point, one thing that makes the Indian caste system distinctive is the inability for individuals to shift from one caste to another. Generations and generations of individuals are forced to live in the same caste because everyone observes the system, and perhaps "plays the game." This parallels with inability for people of color to escape the physical markers of their difference which leads to the positively reinforcing cycle of incarceration to barring from mainstream society. Wed, 27 Mar 2019 22:55:44 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309298 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309298 I do agree with your point that society may not want to completely eliminate prisons. The focus thus far in Alexander's piece has been on drug-related crime and punishment and your suggested solutions make sense. Violent and fatal crimes are very serious and yes, might necessitate the isolation of the perpetrator. However, I believe there should be extensive systems of support in any of the institutions that lock up individuals. Some murders occur by accident, some murderers feel no remorse. But many murderers have a lifetime to reflect on their crimes and may regret their actions. Some murders occur because of the mindset and environment individuals are born with and into. If we accept that humans have the capacity and willingness to change be it with drugs (ie getting "clean"), I think this can be applied to a certain extent even to murderers (emphasis on to a certain extent). Wed, 27 Mar 2019 22:39:24 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309280 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1309280 I find the last part of this sentence to be particularly important. While I do not have the statistics on the distribution of those involved in the drug trade (which would be difficult to calculate with its illegality), this is an important reminder. According to the Hamilton project, white individuals and black individuals use and sell drugs at similar rates. Here is the link to the website if you're interested in learning more: http://www.hamiltonproject.org/charts/rates_of_drug_use_and_sales_by_race_rates_of_drug_related_criminal_justice Wed, 27 Mar 2019 22:12:35 -0400