Punishment: The U.S. Record

A Social Research Conference at The New School took place on Thursday, November 30 and Friday, December 1, 2006

The conference examined the foundations of our ideas of punishment, explored the social effects of current practices and searched for viable alternatives to our carceral state.

To order audio CDs of the conference complete and return this form.

Click to listen to the Special Event,
RICHARD GERE and CAREY LOWELL
Reading Prison Writings

The conference has concluded, but you can order audio CDs of the entire conference for $50, single sessions for $10 each, or the published proceedings for $15, in Social Research Vol. 74, Number 2 (Summer 2007).

Download our order form, complete it and return with credit card information or check to the specified addresses.

The Land of the Free?
A conference on who, what, why and how we punish.

Our nation's prison population has soared by more than 600% since the 1970s, despite a drop in crime rates. As of 2005, over two million people were imprisoned in this country: almost one in every 136 U.S. residents.

Black men, who make up 6% of the U.S. population, comprise over 40% of our prison population. A black male born today has a 32% chance of spending time in prison.

Eleven states do not allow ex-cons to vote. Nearly 2,800,000 American children have at least one parent in prison or jail.

What does this mean for our democracy? Where do our concepts of punishment come from? What is the effect on our families, communities and the economy of our staggeringly high incarceration rate?

Join us as we examine the foundations of our ideas of punishment, explore the social effects of current practices and search for viable alternatives to our carceral state.

This conference was supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, The Open Society Institute’s U.S. Justice Fund, the Ford Foundation and The J.M. Kaplan Fund and is also cosponsored by the ACLU.

For more information, please contact:

Social Research Conference Office
65 Fifth Avenue, Room 375
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 229-5776 x 3121
Fax: (212) 229-5476
E-mail: socres@newschool.edu

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