This research explores the causes and consequence of the rise of the American carceral state, the nature and consequence of police violence, and efforts to reform policing in the United States.
This project features a series of one-hour seminars which include a 35-minute presentation followed by 25 minutes of discussion.
Policing and Political Participation, November 17, 2020
By Traci Burch from Northwestern University
Uncontrollable Blackness: African American Men and Criminality in Jim Crow New York, November 16, 2020
Professor Flowe (Washington University in St. Louis) presents his book and related research and takes questions from the audience
Misdemeanor Prosecution, November 10, 2020
Presented by Jennifer Doleac from Texas A&M University
Watched, Stopped, and Handcuffed: The Effects of Direct and Indirect Police Contact on the Health of Black Women, November 3, 2020
April Fernandes from North Carolina State University presents research on how direct and indirect contact with law enforcement shapes the physical and mental health of Black women, highlighting often-overlooked consequences of the “new policing” era
The Law and Economics of Crime on Indian Reservations, October 20, 2020
Virtual talk presented by Adam Crepelle at the Southern University Law Center
Going the Extra Mile: the Cost of Complaint Filing, Accountability, and Law Enforcement Outcomes in Chicago, October 14, 2020
Bocar Ba from the University of California, Irvine presents research showing that lowering the cost of filing complaints against police increases reporting, alters oversight outcomes, and reveals unequal burdens on non-white communities
Presumed Criminal: Black Youth and the Justice System in Postwar New York, October 13, 2020
In Presumed Criminal, Carl Suddler uncovers the deep historical roots of policies that bound Black youth to the justice system, exposing how racial perceptions of age and innocence have long driven stark disparities in punishment and incarceration
Preying on the Poor: Criminal Justice as Revenue Racket, October 6, 2020
In Preying on the Poor, Joe Soss shows how revenue-centered practices like fines, fees, bail, and asset forfeiture turn criminal justice into a system of predatory governance that entrenches inequality and reshapes American citizenship
Roundtable on Police Reform in Pittsburgh, October 2, 2020
In a virtual roundtable on police reform, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto and his staff engaged with responses from Professors David Harris and Brandon Davis, highlighting challenges and possibilities for reimagining public safety and accountability
Lessons from the Prison Education Project, September 29, 2020
Professor Chris Bonneau (University of Pittsburgh) presents his work co-founding and running the Prison Education Project at the University of Pittsburgh
A City Divided: Race, Fear, and the Law in Police Confrontations, September 27, 2020
Professor Harris (University of Pittsburgh Law School) presents his book and related research and takes questions from the audience on police confrontations
Injustice for All: How Financial Incentives Corrupted and Can Fix the US Criminal Justice System, September 22, 2020
In their book, Injustice for All, Jason Brennan and Chris Surprenant reveal how perverse incentives and overcriminalization drive the failures of America’s justice system, as they chart practical reforms to break its destructive cycles