Mass Incarceration: A WeListen Staff Discussion

This session of WeListen is open to all UM staff members. All voices and views are welcome and lunch will be provided!

RSVP here: http://myumi.ch/6wE9n

The U.S. has the most incarcerated people in the world: 2.1 million. The corrections system costs $81B annually, while corporations make $7.4B from private prisons and $2B+ from prison labor. Black and Hispanic Americans are overrepresented in U.S. prisons and 83% of formerly incarcerated people are rearrested within 9 years of release.

Is mass incarceration working? Why are racial minorities overrepresented? Should the U.S. consider different sentencing and correctional models? Has privatization in our justice system gone too far, or not far enough?

Join us at this WeListen Staff Session to learn about mass incarceration and to participate in small group discussions about this complex topic. Our aim is to bring liberals, conservatives, libertarians- everyone across the political spectrum- together for constructive conversation. The goal of WeListen discussions is not to debate or argue, but to understand the views and values of others and to learn from their perspectives. The session will begin with a brief content presentation to provide a basic understanding of the topic. No specific level of knowledge is required to participate in WeListen discussions.


By participating in WeListen sessions, staff members will:
- Expand understanding of a prominent political topic
- Practice discussing difficult topics with others,
- Gain openness to new ideas and perspectives,
- Learn to productively challenge an idea, and
- Form a sense of community among fellow staff members.

Questions? Email us at welistenstaff@umich.edu.

This event is co-sponsored by the UM Office of DEI and the LSA DEI Implementation Leads. The planning committee includes staff members from the Ginsberg Center, the LSA Dean's Office, and LSA Psychology.