Criminal Justice Reform

Criminal Justice Reform: Contesting the Carceral State This seminar will explore the law and politics of mass incarceration in the United States today, with special attention to the ways in which social movements are pushing for reform and even abolition on the ground. We will spend some time reading diagnoses of the causes and consequences of the carceral state--the network of institutions and actors that are together responsible for the mass incarceration and supervision of more than 6 million Americans today. We will then turn to a variety of reform efforts that people contesting the carceral state are engaging in today. Although we will discuss specific reform outcomes, our focus will be not just on the "what" but also on the "how": how does reform of the criminal legal system happen? What kinds of legal and political strategies are necessary for largescale decarceration in the United States today? How about for abolition? In preparation for each session, we will read works by contemporary scholars and thinkers about the history of mass incarceration and reform of the criminal legal system. We will pay particular attention to current debates over whether decarceration is best achieved through democratic or bureaucratic efforts. Assignments will also include podcasts and other popular media that examine the ongoing work of advocacy groups pushing for change on the ground. Students will be graded on a combination of class participation, short response papers, and a final paper. With the advance permission of the professor, a limited number of students will be permitted to request that their final papers be eligible to satisfy the Upperclass Writing Requirement. There is no Pass/Fail option.