Why Are Women In Prison?: The Politics of Risk
Saturday, May 31, 12 to 2 pm, Room 1.76
In discussions about prison reform and decarceration, how does the concept of "risk" influence who goes to prison and for how long? Popular logic deems some prisoners to be "safety risks," and therefore consigned to long periods of incarceration, while others - including a very large percentage of women - are labeled "low-risk" or less "dangerous." This panel will delve into the politics and frameworks by which risk is evaluated in the criminal justice system. Who is deemed "dangerous" and why? How is race entrenched in evaluations of risk at every level? What makes women as a whole a less risky population, and why are so many "low-risk" women sent to prison? What very real risks to society are never included in the rhetoric of risk (to the environment, economy, or families and communities of the incarcerated, for example)? How does risk assessment intersect with gender in ways that harm women and gender-nonconforming people? Join us for a conversation that probes our assumptions around danger, safety, gender, and the measures used to maintain "security" in a society pervaded by prisons.
with Leslie Thatcher and Maya Schenwar from Truthout and Glenn Martin of JustLeadershipUSA
and
Women, Trans, Aging Prisoners and FIPs
This workshop is part of the track entitled The Prisoners Struggle: Point of Reference for Our Movements.
Video coming soon.
with Donna Hill and Bret Grote (Fight for Lifers and Women and Trans Prisoner Defense Committee).