Prisons: Racism, Reform and Restorative Justice
Daniel Kalla (John Sheehy and Kat Rickenbacker, sponsors)
Mondays, 3:30 - 4:50
World Studies Lounge
This course is an introduction to the racial history of prisons in the U.S., to prison reform, and to restorative justice. The U.S. prison population today is about 2.4 million people, larger than that of any other country both in absolute terms and per capita, and it has a higher proportion of racial minorities than that of any other country. This mass incarceration is a very recent historical development: four decades ago, it was about one eighth the size it is today and shrinking, and most experts in criminology had expected prisons to disappear as a form of punishment.
At the same time as the prison population has grown, the prison abolition movement has gained more support and restorative justice has started to be implemented worldwide, including in the Vermont Department of Corrections. This course will start with an introduction to various issues surrounding prisons, with a focus on their anti-black racial history and some attention to the prison abolition movement. It will then examine six reforms in prison history, specifically their intent and impact, and then look at restorative justice principles and practice. The final part of the course will be focused on student interests relevant to restorative justice and prisons.