According to the ACLU, “despite making up close to 5% of the global population, the U.S. has nearly 25% of the world’s prison population. Since 1970, our incarcerated population has increased by 700% – 2.3 million people are in jail and prison today”. 

What is the history of prison and punishment in the United States and globally? How does the United States compare to other nations? What are the major events reflecting mass incarceration and prison policies?  

Mass Incarceration and Prison Studies is a curated database seeking to provide resources to answer these questions. The database is organized around a selection of key historical and contemporary events and themes related to Global Incarceration and Prison Studies, bringing together 100,000 pages of text (archival materials and selected primary sources, reference materials, reports, and monographs), 150 hours of video (including documentaries and news footage), 1,000 links to websites, and 500 images. 

As part of Global Issues Library, this research, teaching, and vocational database will look at the main themes and events related to mass incarceration and the history of prisons by providing multiple perspectives and points of entries: Court cases, Prison Experience: first -hand accounts; law and government documents; Rehabilitation; Training materials; Policing and Law; Prison and Identity; Theory. 

Mixing a case and thematic approach, this resource will look at the carceral situation in the United States but also in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Canada and others. 

• BBC Worldwide 
  Miami Mega-Jail, Part 1 & 2; Tough Justice: Texas Style 

• Daedalus Productions 
  Through the Wire; Lock Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island 

• Music Video Distributors 
  Not for Rent! 

• Parralel Lines 
  Thanatos Rx 

• TVF International 
  He Didn't Do It 
  Three Sons Behind Bars 

• Windrose 
  Behind the Bars 

• L’Harmattan 
  La Récidive en Question