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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Approximately what percentage of people sentenced to prison in Illinois for a drug offense are African American, according to the author in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

2. Where was Ora Lee Hurley imprisoned?

3. In 2006, one in how many African American men was behind bars?

4. What is the jobless rate for young black male dropouts, including those incarcerated today, according to the author in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand"?

5. When was the first year that a black person ever sat on a jury in the United States?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was enacted with the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998?

2. What are the historical parallels between Jim Crow and mass incarceration that the author explores in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

3. When was crack-cocaine introduced to users in the U.S.? What involvement did the government have with the introduction of crack to African American communities?

4. How does racial segregation apply to Jim Crow and mass incarceration, according to the author in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

5. When did Whren v. United States go before the Supreme Court? What was the Court's decision?

6. What was determined in the Supreme Court case of Rucker v. Davis?

7. What does the author mean when she refers to "second-class citizens" in the book?

8. How does political disenfranchisement apply to Jim Crow and mass incarceration, according to the author in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

9. How does the author compare the incarceration rates of blacks and whites in the U.S. for drug offenses versus the statistics of use among blacks and whites in the country?

10. What are the obstacles that former criminals face in terms of finding housing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did the wealthy planter class manage to create a divide between poor white workers and poor black workers in the American colonies? Why did they do so? How did they benefit from this estrangement?

Essay Topic 2

What is "affirmative action" and when did it emerge in the United States? What are the pros and cons of affirmative action? Where does the author stand on this issue? Why?

Essay Topic 3

What are the repercussions a defendant may face for taking a plea deal instead of facing mandatory sentences for drug offenses? What are some of the examples of costs that a defendant may face after trial? How can these costs oppress a former inmate?

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