Mass Incarceration & the War on Drugs (June 2017)
Mass Incarceration & the War on Drugs (June 2017)
Understanding and Moving Beyond the Current Prison Crisis
The US incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world, and incarceration is acutely and disproportionately concentrated among communities of color. This course provides a substantive overview of what has become known as mass incarceration – the dramatic expansion of the US prison system over the past 40 years. Learn about mass incarceration’s history, scope, and impact; its connections to the War on Drugs and the legacy of slavery; and the exciting movements and strategies being deployed to dismantle it.
Mondays, June 5-26 || 7:00-9:00 pm
Hatch || 2420 NE Sandy Blvd
Four weeks $120 || Space is limited to 25 students || Scholarships Available
Taught by Nicole Lindahl
The US incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world, and incarceration is acutely and disproportionately concentrated among communities of color. This course provides a substantive overview of what has become known as mass incarceration – the dramatic expansion of the US prison system over the past 40 years. Learn about mass incarceration’s history, scope, and impact; its connections to the War on Drugs and the legacy of slavery; and the exciting movements and strategies being deployed to dismantle it.
Week 1: Mass Incarceration 101: What is mass incarceration and how did it emerge? How does it intersect with the War on Drugs? Who has it impacted the most?
Week 2: The Political Economy of Punishment: Are prisons big business? Who have been the biggest winners and losers? What is the role of private prisons?
Week 3: Lived Histories of Incarceration: How has mass incarceration shaped the lives of those living and working within US prisons? How has it impacted their romantic partners, children, and families?
Week 4: Moving Forward: What are the most promising interventions into the incarceration crisis? What will it take to reduce the prison population and transform the criminal justice system?
Nicole Lindahl has worked to dismantle mass incarceration for the past 20 years. Most recently, she earned her PhD from UC Berkeley researching the life histories of people who were convicted of violent crimes and served long sentences in California.
Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
My graduate profile in Jurisprudence & Social Policy, UC Berkeley