Punishment Beyond Mass Incarceration Symposium - Abolition as Policy

How can we move beyond the current punitive system to implement community-focused solutions that prioritize the health and wealth of communities, especially communities of color disproportionately affected by mass incarceration and prison building?

Join the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the Urban Institute for the Punishment Beyond Mass Incarceration Symposium, which will feature expert researchers, emerging scholars, and diverse voices from various fields to explore the latest ideas in moving beyond studying mass incarceration. The symposium will showcase many thought-provoking presentations and discussions, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of topics such as the following: the history and impact of punishment on communities, theoretical and practical aspects of prison abolition, community engaged methods to reduce dependency on prisons, strategies for creating alternative opportunities.

“Abolition as Policy”

• Monica Bell, Professor of Law and Associate Professor of Sociology, Yale University

• Faith Deckard, Doctoral Candidate of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin

• Susila Gurusami, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois Chicago

• DeMarcus Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania

Discussant:

• Bryan L. Sykes, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Cornell University