The United States has five percent of the world's population but 25% of the worlds incarcerated people. There are over 2.4 million people in US jails, prisons, and juvenile detention centers. This is an increase of over 400% since the 1980s. African-Americans and Latinos make up the overwhelming majority of the prison population despite being about 25% of the total US population. One in every 110 adult Americans is incarcerated. One in every 35 adult Americans is under some type of correctional control, prison, jail, probation or parole. This course will investigate a number of questions: What purpose(s) do prisons serve in this country? What are the economic, political and social reasons? What and who are political prisoners? Is that definition affected by the politics of poverty? How does education and miseducation affect this system? How are those who do not have family or friends incarcerated impacted by the American system of incarceration? Why should you care about these issues? It will also look at some of the individuals who have been or are housed in these facilities.

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