Mass Incarceration

Catalog description

The class covers the rise of the carceral state from the 1970s onward, with a particular focus on the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown people. We trace the roots of the carceral state to slavery and its end, and then move into the war on drugs and war on crime. We will spend the semester exploring the causes of the carceral state (or mass incarceration), its consequences, particularly with respect to families and children and public health, and then we focus on how to address changes to it. Readings vary from poems and law review articles by people who have been formerly incarcerated to scholarship by historians and activists, and political scientists, and a few cases from the Supreme Court. We will have a few guest speakers throughout, as well. There are two short reflection papers assigned (6 pages each) and students are expected to participate in class discussion.