The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. Over 2 million people are caught in the criminal justice system today. A disproportionate number of those incarcerated are people of color, particularly black, Latino, and indigenous men. Women, too, are a growing part of the prison population, as are queer, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people. Children, particularly impoverished black youth and, increasingly, immigrants, are funneled into correctional supervision. In this course we will ground philosophical explorations of freedom and captivity by exploring the vexing problems faced by those who are incarcerated. |