Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice
Date May 28, 2026
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2025 Annual Report Update: Mass Incarceration and Punishment in America Research Cluster

This research cluster seeks to examine punishment and the U.S. carceral state through an interdisciplinary lens. The cluster operates from the frame that race and anti-Black racism are cornerstones to understanding the vast leviathan of punishment in America.

Someone giving an oral presentation to a group of people in the audience
Fernando Bermudez during his LIVE Oral History presentation. Photo by Rythum Vinoben.

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. During the 2024–2025 academic year, we had a dynamic year of programming that engaged undergraduates, graduate students, activists and alumni. The cluster was active with events aimed at building an archive on mass incarceration through the Mass Incarceration Lab. The Lab’s mission centers on incorporating the voices of incarcerated individuals into the narrative of America's history of mass incarceration. The cluster hosted a LIVE oral history event featuring Fernando Bermudez, a wrongfully convicted artist who was incarcerated in New York State maximum security prisons for 18 years. He was the first Latin-American male in the state of New York’s legal history to be exonerated on “actual innocence” grounds. Bermudez’s narrative was an extremely impactful account of regaining legal innocence and reshaping his life as a free person.  

Two people standing and holding a book whilst smiling.
Prof. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve with Prof. Robin Bernstein. Photo by Felora Bellamy/Simmons Center.

Beyond this event, the cluster hosted two authors to discuss their books with students and community members in packed auditoriums. Professor Robin Bernstein, a historian and professor at Harvard University, talked about her new book, “The Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison,” in which she examines the morally complicated story of murder, greed, race, and the true origins of prison for profit.

Three students stand with a professor and an author whose book they're holding
Brittney Freedman and Prof. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve with students. Photo by Rythum Vinoben.

The second event was a discussion featuring Brittney Freedman, a Ph.D. assistant professor of sociology at the University of Southern California, and her new book, “Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons.” Her research focuses on the realm of social control and the underside of the government, such as prisons, courts, and treasuries. Both events included small seminar discussions where students interacted with the authors and shared their research ideas with these leading scholars.

Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve

Mass Incarceration and Punishment in America Research Cluster Faculty Fellow
Associate Professor of Sociology

Caroline Cordts ’28

Research Assistant

Phoebe Grace Aseoche ’26

Research Assistant