The First Civil Right: Difference between revisions
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| name = The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America |
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| image = File:Naomi Murakawa- book cover.jpg |
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Revision as of 18:02, 10 August 2015
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| Author | Naomi Murakawa |
|---|---|
| Published | 11 August 2014[1] |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 280 |
| ISBN | 9780199892808 |
The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America is a 2014 non-fiction book by Naomi Murakawa. The book discusses U.S. incarceration rates, racial inequality in the U.S. prison system, and the role of liberal politicians (specifically Democrats) in contributing to inequalities there.
Murakawa's approach specifically "discounts intentions, recognizing that racial power is not necessarily exerted by will."[2] Instead the book investigates differing forms of racism and how they have functionally influenced the U.S. prison system.[2]
According to Murakawa, Democratic efforts to professionalize the U.S. justice system in response to racial bias effectively contributed to that bias. Examples discussed include The Boggs Act of 1952 and the Narcotic Control Act of 1956 which both created mandatory sentencing that set a precedent of inequality during the War on Drugs.[3] More recently, Bill Clinton's 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill, which was heavily supported by Joe Biden, expanded the Federal death penalty and minimum sentencing, which has been disproportionately applied to minorities. Minimum sentencing and drug laws have also significantly increased incarceration rates for nonviolent offenders.[4][3][5]
According to Murakawa, the term "The first civil right" was first used in the Truman administration to refer to the right to be protected from violence, specifically Black protection from White supremacist violence, but the term was later popularized by Nixon to implicitly mean protection of White people from Black people.[4]
Murakawa is an associate professor at the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University.[6]
References
- ^ "The First Civil Right". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ a b Osterweil, Willie (6 January 2015). "How White Liberals Used Civil Rights to Create More Prisons". The Nation. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ a b Russell, Thadeus. "Did Liberals Put Black America Behind Bars? (Opinion)". Newsweek. No. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Dana (15 January 2015). "Blame Liberals". The Marshall Project. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ Konczal, Mike; Covert, Bryce (24 September 2014). "The Score: Why Prisons Thrive Even When Budgets Shrink". The Nation. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ "Naomi Murakawa". Center for African American Studies, Princeton University. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- Orphaned articles from February 2015
- Oxford University Press books
- 2014 books
- Non-fiction books about racism
- Books about politics of the United States
- Race and law in the United States
- Incarceration rates in the United States
- Race and crime in the United States
- American political books
- Liberalism in the United States