Investigates the causes, consequences, experience and potential transformation of US prisons, jails and detention centers. Stimulates critical thought, discussion, and research on alternative ethical positions on criminal justice policies, such as immigration detention, the war on drugs, prison privatization and mandatory sentencing, which have created and maintain the unequal distribution of mass incarceration. Examines the US carceral state as an institution of stratification that exacerbates social problems it is charged with tackling, prevents social mobility for the most marginalized, and solidifies disadvantages based on age, class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and citizenship.
Department of Sociology