Prisons, jails, immigrant detention centers. We know them as places of unfreedom, but we don’t often think about them as places of work. Yet compulsory labor is a key part of incarceration in this country. Sociologist Erin Hatton discusses the state of coerced work in prisons, the lack of worker protections, and how work has … Continued
Crime is way down, and law and order advocates argue that’s the result of expanded policing and other punitive measures. But sociologist Alex Vitale says there’s no evidence that’s true. He discusses how expanded policing is the flip side of neoliberal economic austerity and the slashing of social services. PHOTO: Ari Spada on Unsplash.
The mass criminalization and incarceration of African Americans has received increasing attention in recent years, thanks to social movements. But the role of African American leaders in locking up black people is much less known. James Forman Jr., son of the Civil Rights leader, discusses the confluence of forces – including class differences within the … Continued
