Legal Studies 290MH - Mass Incarceration, Hons

This is a survey course on mass incarceration with a specific focus on mass imprisonment in the U.S. beginning in the 1970 and 1980s. We will examine the rise and persistence of mass incarceration in the United States, organized around three central questions: What are the causes? What are the consequences? And how can we end it? In Part I of the course, we will explore competing explanations for the dramatic rise in incarceration in the U.S., drawing from a wide array of disciplines. Competing explanations include arguments that demonstrate mass incarceration is part of a system of racial domination, is a form of class warfare, and/or is a product of U.S. political institutions. In Part 2, we will discuss the far-reaching consequences of mass incarceration, with particular attention to its intersectional and relational effects; i.e., how it reinforces race, class, and gender inequities and proves damaging not only for those behind bars but for families, communities, and our society as a whole. In Part 3, we will explore proposed and enacted reforms and abolitionist visions, and evaluate their potential to reduce or end incarceration. Students will participate in structured debates, an on-campus field trip, and small writing exercises that build up to a final independent research paper.

This course is open to Commonwealth Honors College students only. LEGAL 101 or 100-level SBS