Mass Incarceration in the United States
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this course examining the scale and structure of incarceration in the United States and the debates over reforming it. Materials combine firsthand and media accounts of prison life with social science research on the causes and consequences of high incarceration rates. Topics include the relationship between race and the criminal legal system, the collateral consequences of a conviction on housing, employment, and family life, public opinion research on punishment and reform, and case studies of recently elected reform-minded prosecutors and their impact on local justice systems. The course provides the full syllabus, readings, and assignments as published by MIT, free to access, with no certificate offered through OCW. It suits anyone wanting a structured, evidence-based look at American criminal justice policy rather than a purely advocacy-driven treatment.