This event is the first in a series of symposia hosted by the U-M Center for the Study of the Carceral State, a new interdisciplinary initiative directed by Professor Heather Ann Thompson. The Center brings together faculty, students, staff, and community members to examine and research mass incarceration, policing, and criminal justice in the United States. It also sponsors community outreach and social justice events. This symposium will feature five U-M faculty, students, and community members who will discuss their experiences and understandings of the American carceral state.