Prisoners and Prisons (Panel 1 of 3)

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Three panels bring together state of the art scholarship on prisoners and prison, highlighting a series of papers that will be published in a thematic volume of Crime and Justice in late 2022. Panel 1 features three papers highlighting different aspects of punishment and how incarceration disproportionally and structurally disadvantages people of ethnic and minority status. It also highlights how prison and punishment varies across different national contexts and throughout history. Paper 1 focuses on the history of race and imprisonment in the United States, highlighting the differential impact of incarceration on Black people. Paper 2 highlights the experiences of Indigenous prisoners in Canada – a group of people that is grossly overincarcerated. By drawing on empirical data from the University of Alberta Prison Project (UAPP), this paper argues against the common understanding of Canadian criminologists that Indigenized programming advances colonialism. Paper 3 demonstrates how differences in prisons are related to national and local histories, making it difficult to push for overall reforms unless supported by powerful political groups.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 48. Jails & Prisons

Individual Presentations

• The Peculiar Journey: An Intellectual History of Race and Imprisonment - Robert D. Crutchfield, University of Washington

• Decolonizing Prisons: Indigenized prison programming and a Critique of “Critical Prison Studies” - Justin Tetrault, University of Alberta Augustana

• Punishments, Politics, and Prisons in Western Countries - Michael Tonry, University of Minnesota

Chair

• Sandra Bucerius, University of Alberta