Dartmouth Events

Building the Prison State: The Origins of Mass Incarceration

Heather Schoenfeld Assistant Professor, Center for Legal Studies School of Education and Social Policy Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University

Tuesday, May 1, 2018
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Room 001, Rockefeller Center
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Free Food, Lectures & Seminars

Drawing on the story of crime politics and policy in Florida, Schoenfeld examines how and why the United States became the world’s leading jailer. Schoenfeld reframes the contemporary story of mass incarceration as an expansion of the government’s capacity to punish. Examining civil rights era policy, the War on Drugs, and the role of prosecutors, Schoenfeld explains why politicians veered from skepticism of prisons to an embrace of incarceration as the appropriate response to violent and non-violent crime. In addition, she draws on her research to suggest a path toward dismantling the prison state.

For more information, contact:
Laura Mitchell

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.