The Offensive Against Civil Rights: Crime Policy and Politics

More than 2.3 million adults in the United States fill local jails, state correctional facilities, and federal prisons; nearly five million more are either on probation or on parole. The vast majority of people with felony convictions are denied the right to participate in the political process; they are furthermore barred from certain types of employment, designated housing units, and educational institutions. In short, despite the touted successes of the Civil Rights Movement, large swaths of US-born individuals lack the opportunity to fully participate in society. Legislation curtailing civil rights gains began to be enacted shortly after the passage of civil rights bills. Beginning in the early 1970s, legislators at the state and federal levels proposed harsh crime laws that, although seemingly race-neutral, disproportionately impacted impoverished African Americans and Latinos. As a consequence, policymakers have insidiously reversed the inclusion fought for by civil rights activists. This course will examine the period from the 1950s to the present day through the lens of crime policy and prison building. The first part of the course will focus on philosophical and historical literature on punishment, Jim Crow segregation, and the political offensive against civil rights activists, black nationalists, and anti-Vietnam War demonstrators. We will thereafter investigate the passage of punitive crime policies at state and federal levels, with close attention to political elections and the role of the media, the war on drugs, “supermax” facilities, zero-tolerance policing, and capital punishment. We will conclude with an analysis of barriers to civil rights in the areas of employment and disenfranchisement. Readings will primarily include sociological and political-science texts, as well as policy papers and personal stories. As an alternative to regular conference papers, students will participate in service-learning placements in court, jail, or prison contexts with organizations advocating with and on behalf of individuals with criminal convictions.