Though activists and organizers have been fighting against the injustices in the U.S. prison system for many decades, it is only in recent years that “Mass Incarceration” and “Criminal Justice Reform” have become well-known terms. For those who want to participate in prison-related social justice efforts, however, the programs, practices, and initiatives can be confusing to parse.

 Common questions include:

? What exactly is "Restorative Justice", and what does it look like in practice?

? What strategies fall under the umbrella of “prison reform”, and what practices are considered “abolitionist”? Are these practices mutually exclusive, or symbiotic?

? What are “alternatives to incarceration?”, and what is “decarceration?”

 ? And finally, how can students contribute to these efforts currently as well as in their future careers?

In this class, we will co-create working definitions of these terms and explore what they look like in practice, using texts, documentaries, and insights from organizers and activists engaging in this work every day. Specifically, we will explore the work of decarceration-focused restorative justice and arts-based practitioners; policy advocates; community re-entry specialists; social workers; educators; lawyers; and others. In addition to short weekly written assignments, students will design and complete a final decarceration-related project, featuring topic(s) and a format of their choosing.