SOC 280 Punishment

Why does the United States incarcerate more of its population than any other nation in the world? Why does death by injection seem kinder and gentler-and thus more acceptable-than public hangings of the past? What are the consequences for justice and democracy in an era of unprecedented confinement and correctional supervision? Using various historical legal and sociological perspectives we will focus on questions such as these with an emphasis on: the cultural life of punishment crime control as a political issue the racial and class dynamics of punishment and inequality and contemporary issues surrounding modern penal sanctioning (e.g. mass incarceration) and its consequences. This course is repeatable once for credit.