Is mass incarceration doing more harm than good?

More American residents are behind bars than any other nation. While the US Criminal Justice System was established to regulate peace and order, it has since become the catalyst for criminalizing people of color. Fueled by initiatives like Nixon’s “War on Drugs” campaign, which unfairly targeted communities of color, mass incarceration has steadily been on the rise. Despite the staggering amount of people behind bars, the crime rates haven’t exactly been on the decline, raising the question: do prisons actually keep us safe?

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Sydne Clarke interviews Victoria Law whose groundbreaking book investigates the brutal history of mass incarceration in the United States showing how dismantling mass incarceration starts with unpacking the myths surrounding it.

BOOK:

“Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration

GUEST:

Victoria Law

PRODUCER:

Sydne Clarke

MUSIC:

Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

PRODUCTION:

Pod People - Hannah Pedersen, Danielle Roth, Shaneez Tyndall, and Michael Aquino.

SHOW NOTES:

Link to Victoria Law’s work

Episode Glossary:

coming soon for all episodes

 
Producer

PRODUCER


Sydne Clarke

Guest

GUEST

Victoria Law

Book

BOOK

 
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