The Mass Incarceration 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. During the 2023–2024 academic year, we had a dynamic year of programming and research that engaged undergraduates, graduate students, activists and alumni. Our cluster hosted author and professor Dr. Melanie Newport for a discussion of her book, This is My Jail, which details the dark history of Chicago’s Cook County Jail, the largest single-site jail in the United States. The seminar format welcomed students and the community to hear Dr. Newport’s research as well as stay for a meet-and-greet to have their books signed.

Beyond this signature event, the cluster was active with events and research activities aimed at building an archive on mass incarceration through the Mass Incarceration Lab. The Lab’s mission is centering incarcerated voices in the telling of the history of mass incarceration in America. The cluster hosted two LIVE oral history events. The first event was with Russell Morse as he shared his story of experiencing juvenile incarceration. He learned how to write while incarcerated and is now an advocate for criminal justice reform. The second event was a LIVE oral history of Albert Brown and Jabir Pope, two men who have been exonerated and released after 38 years in prison. Both men were falsely accused of and charged with armed robbery and murder because the State hid exculpatory evidence and testimonies. After several appeal processes and a decades-long struggle for freedom, Pope was released in 2021 and Brown in 2022. They shared their stories of their time incarcerated and discussed their paths to justice and exoneration. They even sang together doo-wop style and performed for the audience.