This collection raises difficult questions about people at risk for contact with the criminal justice system and the dramatic increase in the nation’s prison population over the last several decades. The lessons are student-centered and interactive with a goal of full participation among participants. In that spirit and as a way to prepare to work with this challenging material, we ask that you take some time now (or before you start using this resource) to complete the following steps:

1. Make a short list of all that comes to mind when you think about prisons, jails, and crime.

2. Consider the following statistics: One in one hundred Americans is incarcerated. For black males it is 1 in 15. More than one million women are under the supervision of the criminal justice system. The U.S. houses one-fourth of the world’s prison population.* Then, respond to the following quote from Senator Jim Webb: “With so many of our citizens in prison compared to the rest of the world, there are only two possibilities: Either we are home to the most evil people on earth or we are doing something different–and vastly counterproductive.” What do you think explains the vast increase in our prison population?

3. Finally, examine your notes and responses and make some objective observations about where you stand on these issues. Think about what you bring to the table as you begin this work with your group.

Final Note

Our intention in organizing the lessons is to provide a balance between personal behaviors and accountability on the one hand, and structural factors like race, class, and legal policies on the other when thinking about the criminal justice system. This is what makes this collection unique and valuable but it is a hard balance to strike– most people emphasize some factors over others to explain our high prison population.

Keep that in mind as you work through these activities with your group as a way to challenge all sides of the issue and learn from those with opposing viewpoints.

Take some time to review all of the materials included and explore some of the links provided before you begin. Let us know at Оваа е-адреса е заштитена од спамботови. Треба да ви е овозможено JavaScript за да ја видите. what results you have from working with this collection.

This Is a Story You Have to Tell: Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System

  Извор: WUNRN – 17.03.2014