Mass Incarceration in the United States
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (Image by Geoff Livingston via Flickr)
The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world. Inside/Outside/Other: Mass Incarceration in the United States asks students to examine how the dehumanization of incarcerated people, both inside and outside the four walls of prison, allows this system to keep growing.
This lesson was inspired by Ear Hustle, a podcast that brings you the daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration. Woven Teaching is a proud sponsor of Ear Hustle.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
What are human rights?
What are some reasons why a society might strip a person of their rights?
What role does dehumanization play in the U.S. system of mass incarceration?
How does a person affirm their own humanity?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Understand international human rights standards as laid out in the UDHR
Define the terms bias, discrimination, and dehumanization
Recognize the scale of mass incarceration in the United States
Identify ways in which the U.S. justice system dehumanizes incarcerated individuals