Conference On Punishment in America

As public opinion regarding the punishment of criminals has become increasingly retributive, America has evolved into a mass incarceration society. In 1970, 300,000 Americans were in prison; today that number is roughly two million. The shift from a rehabilitation consensus to one favoring retribution has had a disproportionate impact on African-American and Latino men, who are incarcerated at much higher rates than white males. This state of affairs raises a host of social science questions, as well as questions of social justice. Why have Americans adopted harsher attitudes on criminal justice issues? What explains the correlation between race and incarceration rates? What is the impact of incarceration on families and communities? What are the alternatives to mass incarceration?

These and related questions will be considered at a conference titled “Punishment: The U.S. Record,” organized by New School psychologist Arien Mack. The conference is part of the Social Research Conference Series at New School University, a forum for scholars to discuss contemporary social issues from the vantage points of their respective disciplines. About 30 social scientists, legal experts, philosophers, journalists, and social workers will take part in the two-day conference. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will deliver the keynote address. Among the panelists, James Q. Whitman of Yale Law School will trace the harshness of the U.S. criminal justice system to certain values of the American political tradition, including anti-statism and egalitarianism. Moshe Halbertal of Hebrew University will examine punishment’s early religious roots. Princeton sociologist Bruce Western will explore disparities in incarceration rates across different races and income level. Journalist and Hunter College literature professor Mark Dow will investigate the non-punitive detention of immigrants by the Homeland Security Department. CUNY Professor Todd Clear and Osborne Association Director Elizabeth Gaynes will discuss the ways that incarceration destabilizes communities, families, and children. Conference papers will be published in 2007 in a special issue of the journal Social Research.