Defund Police and Prisons?-Alternatives to Punitive Social Control

4 credits

Mass protests against police brutality and racial injustice have introduced the public to radical critiques of policing and prisons. Abolitionist activists envision a world where punitive control is replaced with alternative approaches to social problems. This class will draw on sociological research to consider the arguments and evidence for such alternatives as drug and mental health courts, more “humane” prison models, restorative justice, and even the wholesale abolition of punishment. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.