mass incarceration

What Mass Incarceration In America Looks Like

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I am currently participating in a book discussion about Bryan Stevenson’s groundbreaking book, Just Mercy.  The book focuses on the unequal treatment of prisoners of color, especially death row inmates.  We looked at the following graphs to give content to our conversation. I was both shocked and not shocked when I saw these inmate statistics.  I think if more people understood why so many people were incarcerated and the cost, there would be a revolt.

Learn more at Prison Policy.

Reread Book Club: The New Jim Crow

Book: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Author: Michelle Alexander
Times Read: 2

I reread this book for a group discussion I participated in recently.  Although the book was written eight years ago, the topic of mass incarceration is more relevant than ever before.  This conversation has evolved as more undocumented immigrants and those caught up in the opioid crisis are being imprisoned.

There is also this issue with nearly half a million people incarcerated because they can’t afford their bail, and, of course, there are also people in prison who are wrongly convicted.  John Bunn was incarcerated for 17 years for a crime he didn’t commit.  Since he was released earlier this year, he has committed himself to create more libraries in prisons.