RACE, MEDICINE, AND MASS INCARCERATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Upper-Level

There are some two million people locked up in local jails, state prisons, and federal prisons across the United States. Toward the beginning of this multi-disciplinary course, we will examine the historical development of this mass incarceration, as well as racial inequities in America’s criminal justice system. We will then explore some of the medical issues in historical and contemporary U.S. carceral settings, including: medical experimentation on prisoner populations, mental health and suicide, substance abuse, HIV and sexual health, pregnancy and labor conditions, foodborne illnesses, chronic disease, temperature-related medical emergencies, and aging in prisons. Please be advised that some readings for this seminar will refer to instances of violence, sexual assault, and medical trauma. Cross-list: MDHM 315 .