The Guardian

I read The New Jim Crow in jail. It changed my life | Jason Hernandez

The book was banned by New Jersey prisons, and I understand why: it showed me the injustice of our criminal justice system
‘The book put my personal experiences into a bigger perspective for me.’ Photograph: Eric Risberg/AP

When I heard that The New Jim Crow – a book by Michelle Alexander about how mass incarceration in America is a new form of racial control – had been banned by New Jersey prisons, I was shocked, angered and saddened. That’s the exact same way I felt when I first read the book behind bars.

At the time, I was serving a sentence of life without parole for a nonviolent drug

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian8 min read
PinkPantheress: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Very Brandable. I Dress Weird. I’m Shy’
PinkPantheress no longer cares what people think of her. When she released her lo-fi breakout tracks Break it Off and Pain on TikTok in early 2021, aged just 19, she did so anonymously, partly out of fear of being judged. Now, almost three years late
The Guardian6 min read
Fallen Kingdom: Why Has Disney Had Such A Terrible Year?
For its 100th anniversary this year, Disney received a bucket of ice-cold water to the face. It may sound momentary, but somehow it’s the gift that has been giving all year, from the box office nosedive of Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel, to lower-than-expec
The Guardian4 min read
Khaled Khalifa obituary
The writings of the Syrian author Khaled Khalifa, who has died aged 59 of a heart attack, depict a world of bloody conflict, but one where flowers still bloom. In his books, which are often read as eulogies for Syria, and especially his beloved city

Related