The Mass Incarceration and Punishment in America Research Cluster examines the origins and consequences of mass incarceration and centers race and anti-Black racism as the cornerstones to understanding punishment in America. This research cluster serves an important purpose: bridging the research-based examination of mass incarceration in the United States with activists and system-impacted people shaping the dialogue around human rights, criminal justice reform and abolition. This Cluster works closely with the Mass Incarceration Lab and their ongoing efforts to build an archive dedicated to mass incarceration. The Lab’s mission is centering incarcerated voices in the telling of the history of mass incarceration in America. This archival project is a central way that students contribute to the growing intellectual life around the study of mass incarceration and the mission to preserve the narratives and experiences of those impacted by incarceration and its violence. This initiative will be part of the John Hay Library’s collecting initiative entitled, “Voices of Mass Incarceration,” and will be preserved alongside the recently-acquired papers of Mumia Abu-Jamal, an acquisition featured in the New York Times (Aug 24, 2022). Thus far, the archive examines art, religion, healthcare and other facets of daily life defined by incarceration. The archive includes 100 letters and 100 oral histories from incarcerated people.

The 2022–2023 academic year was a dynamic year of programming and research that engaged undergraduates, graduate students, activists and alumni. The Cluster hosted award-winning author and professor, Dr. Michael Walker, for a discussion about his book, “Indefinite: Doing Time in Jail.” This path-breaking research explores the emotional landscape of American “jail time.” Walker spoke to a packed audience and hosted a meet-and-greet for students post-event. The Cluster was also active with events and research activities aimed at building an archive on mass incarceration. This year, the Cluster focused on the issue of solitary confinement. We received a donation of 60 letters from OpenDoors RI written from people held in solitary confinement. Students digitized, preserved and curated these primary sources for the Mass Incarceration Lab’s effort to build an archive that centers the voices of those incarcerated in the United States. Inspired by these letters, students advocated to reform solitary confinement (Rhode Island Bill So617) by testifying in front of the Rhode Island Senate hearing on March 21, 2023 and then, for the Rhode Island House Judiciary on April 4, 2023. Students read letters from those held in solitary and reinforced the message that those most affected by the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement should be able to have their voices heard. In the last three months alone, three people have died by suicide in Rhode Island prisons. The work of the Mass Incarceration Lab and its students shows how academic and archival research can transform into advocacy on some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time.

In addition to these efforts, the cluster, in conjunction with the Mass Incarceration Lab, did two LIVE oral history events. The first event featured Sean Washington, a 2020 Exoneree, who was wrongfully convicted and then exonerated by the New Jersey Appellate Court in 2019. He told narratives of the brutal conditions in prison, the fight for his freedom and the hardships of reintegrating into society after decades of wrongful imprisonment.

In our second event, we hosted a LIVE oral history of three formerly-incarcerated activists who shared their first-hand testimony of the brutality of solitary confinement, their years recovering and reintegrating from the trauma associated with prison life, and the abusive treatment perpetuated by prison guards and staff. They shared advice for students, many of whom aspire to be lawyers and policymakers engaged in criminal justice reform. One of the formerly-incarcerated speakers, Eddie Franco, said that “idealists'' are the types of students that will want to do the hard work of criminal justice reform. He urged them to “hold on” to their idealism so they could make an impact in the future.