17.271 | Fall 2020 | Undergraduate

Mass Incarceration in the United States

Course Description

This course covers the current state of incarceration in the United States and proposals for reform. Class materials include a mix of firsthand/media accounts of incarceration and social science literature on the causes and effects of high incarceration rates. Topics include race and the criminal legal system, …
This course covers the current state of incarceration in the United States and proposals for reform. Class materials include a mix of firsthand/media accounts of incarceration and social science literature on the causes and effects of high incarceration rates. Topics include race and the criminal legal system, collateral consequences of incarceration, public opinion about incarceration, and the behavior of recently elected “reform” prosecutors.
Learning Resource Types
Presentation Assignments
Written Assignments with Examples
Instructor Insights
Two small, dingy enclosed areas, each containing a small cot, and an entry way made up of metal bars.
A pair of prison cells at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, San Francisco, CA. (Image by Jumilla on Flickr. License CC BY.)