Recidivism & Prison Reform

Topic:

In this seminar, we will discuss prison as related to recidivism. Criminal justice is a massive umbrella ridden with issues (policing, conviction, systemic racism, etc.). For the sake of time, attempt to focus on what life inside prison is actually like to show how societal re-entry advances today’s disturbing realities.

Readings:

1. Rise of the Carceral State by Jonathan Simon (Pgs. 471-476, 477-492, & 493 – 503)

2. A Former Inmate Talks About How Prisons Manufacture Criminals by Touré

3. Five Things About Deterrence from the National Institute of Justice

4. How Norway's Prisons Are Different From America's YouTube video by NowThis News

5. OPTIONAL: Life on the Outside podcast by JustVoices

6. OPTIONAL: A Day in the Life of a Prisoner by Jerry Metcalf

7. OPTIONAL: For people leaving prison, rebuilding a life is hard even without a pandemic by PBS News Hour

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is mass incarceration such a cornerstone of the US justice system—who does it serve?

2. Does prison work—why or why not? Should prison punish or reform?

3. How do you and society view people who’ve interacted with the criminal justice system? Why is there such a stigma?

4. What is prison like today and what do incarcerated individuals learn? What should it be like?

5. How can we as business leaders institute positive change?