Secondary Source Blueprint of Hinton’s Argument

I. Citation:

Hinton, Elizabeth. From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America. Harvard University Press, 2016.

II. Thesis:

Hinton’s Thesis: “Waged over the past half- century, since it emerged from within the War on Poverty and alongside it, this long War on Crime has today positioned law enforcement agencies, criminal justice institutions, and jails as the primary public programs in many low- income communities across the United States.”

(Hinton 4)

“The long mobilization of the War on Crime was not a return to an old racial caste system in a new guise— a “New Jim Crow.” Rather, the effort to control and contain troublesome groups with patrol, surveillance, and penal strategies produced a new and historically distinct phenomenon in the post–civil rights era: the criminalization of urban social programs. In the two decades preceding Reagan’s War on Drugs, this phenomenon laid the groundwork for the continued rise of mass incarceration and its deep racial injustices into the twenty-first century”

(Hinton 25-26)

My Words: Due to the long established federal policies that began with the War on Poverty, the War on Crime was not the beginning of the problem of mass incarceration. These policies created a new system rather than emulating an old racial caste (Jim Crow). They used incarceration and law inforcement to “address” social issues within the impoverished and marginalized communities. The War on Poverty is what lead into the the War on Crime.

III. Analysis:

(Had trouble digesting and really solidifying information to make analysis)

Hinton opens with the condensed historical context on where the “War in Drugs” began. She dicusses presidents and how it was their systems and policies that made these changes.

She also noted mainly that “positioned law enforcement agencies, criminal justice institutions, and jails as the primary public programs in many low- income communities.” Which really puts into perspective where this has effected.

Hinton often goes back into the history that she condensed in the introduction. Returning back into it each chapter.

Notes:

-uses statistics

-talking about the black leaders and people who support the doubling down on crime.

-Seems to be inbetweenish of Forman and Alexander in a way. Because they seem to keep bouncing between the two and they seem to still have a voice at the same time?

IV. Three Rhetorical Strategies:

1. The historical perspective is a bit of a new one. Most people aim for historical logos or historical pathos but I feel as though this one is almost all historical in comparison to Alexander and Forman. There isnt a super strong lean, it almost feel neutral.

2. The historical framing and use of President’s to understand the timeline of events. It makes it easier to follow along rather than just throwing dates and times around in one section/aspect.

Ex:

“Since President Lyndon Johnson fi rst called for a “War on Crime” somefifty years ago…” (Hinton 1)

“With a robust national law enforcement program under way at both the state and local levels, Jimmy Car ter moved to dissolve the federal LEAA and place crime control mea sures at the center of the national government’s broader urban policy, framing his punitive policies as security precautions, rather than crime control measures. “

(Hinton 4)

3. The usage of photos as a “break” in the content. It still adds to the narrative but also offers a additive feature.

(Hinton 18)

-Pledge VVB