Constitutional lawyer Dr. Michelle Alexander explains how the “War on Drugs” eroded the Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Alexander looks at how the American political context of white supremacy can and does flourish because drug policing and prosecution enable the criminal justice system to function very selectively at every step. The Study and Action Guide includes two page summaries of most chapters of Alexander’s book, plus some further discussions about the “Southern Strategy,” private prisons, drug laws, and restorative vs. retributive justice.

1. Criminality, Scapegoating, and Retribution vs. Restoration (TNJC ch.1, Genesis 3)

2. The Lockdown (TNJC ch.2, Leviticus 24:17 - 22 vs. Code of Hammurabi on equal human rights)

3. The Color of Justice (TNJC ch.3, Jewish Law vs. Western Law on torture and self-incrimination)

4. The Restoration of Dignity (TNJC ch.4, Leviticus 25:1 - 55)

5. How God Restores Our Human Dignity (Leviticus 25:1 - 55)

6. Some Problems With Prisons (Isaiah 59:1 - 21)

7. Considering Drug Regulation vs. Criminalization (Isaiah 53:4 - 12) 

Note: Please check back here for the most recent pdf copies of our Study & Action Guide to The New Jim Crow.  Because of the nature of the topic, we update the Guide to stay current.

Participant's Guide (Sessions 1 - 7)

Leader's Guide (Sessions 1 - 7) 

To learn more about Christian Restorative Justice:

• Christian Restorative Justice Study Guide: a self-paced tutorial

• Study and Action Guides: our guides for churches and small groups

• Restorative Criminal Justice: resources for reforming the U.S. criminal justice system

• Restorative Classroom Justice: resources for reforming classrooms

• Politics and Christian Restorative Justice: resources on governance, policy, history, and theology for the U.S.