The question of why the United States has become a vastly more punitive society — nearly 8 million Americans have served time in state or federal prison; 20 million individuals have a felony conviction; and approximately one-third of the total population will be arrested by age 23 — is the subject of this seminar. Just “how and why did this extraordinary policy development take place? And what explains the prevalence and unequal distribution of criminal justice contact across race, class, and neighborhoods?”
The aim of the seminar is to provide both a critical and in-depth exploration of the interplay among American electoral politics, public concerns regarding crime, prosecutorial decision-making, and criminal justice policy. Among the central questions we will examine are: How is it that so many Americans are either locked up behind bars or under the supervision of the criminal justice system? And where did the idea of using “jails” and “prisons” as instruments of social and crime control come from? What explains the racial and class differences in criminal behavior and incarceration rates? What does it mean to be poor, a person of color — and in “jail” or “prison?” How and why does criminal justice policy in this country have its roots in the decisions of prosecutors? What is 'the prison industrial complex?' in Pennsylvania, specifically? What are the implications for public safety, reentry, and recidivism?
And importantly, what are the prospects for reforming America’s incarceration complex?
The aim of the seminar is to provide both a critical and in-depth exploration of the interplay among American electoral politics, public concerns regarding crime, prosecutorial decision-making, and criminal justice policy. Among the central questions we will examine are: How is it that so many Americans are either locked up behind bars or under the supervision of the criminal justice system? And where did the idea of using “jails” and “prisons” as instruments of social and crime control come from? What explains the racial and class differences in criminal behavior and incarceration rates? What does it mean to be poor, a person of color — and in “jail” or “prison?” How and why does criminal justice policy in this country have its roots in the decisions of prosecutors? What is 'the prison industrial complex?' in Pennsylvania, specifically? What are the implications for public safety, reentry, and recidivism?
And importantly, what are the prospects for reforming America’s incarceration complex?
- Teacher: Keith Reeves