LOCAL>> Race in America Mini-Series: Victoria Law – "Prisons Make Us Safer"

In conversation with Cesar Garcia Hernandez

In honor of Black History Month and recognizing the importance of uplifting diverse voices and stories now and throughout the year, we are presenting our annual Race in America event as a mini-series of three related events, Feb 22-24.

“Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration is an accessible guide for activists, educators, and all who are interested in understanding how the prison system oppresses communities and harms individuals.

The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to 5% of the global population, the United States has nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners—a total of over 2 million people.

This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500%.

Journalist Victoria Law explains how racism and social control were the catalysts for mass incarceration and have continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves, to the laws passed under the “War Against Drugs” campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people.

César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández is a professor of law at the University of Denver and an immigration lawyer. He runs the blog Crimmigration.com and regularly speaks on immigration issues. He has appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, the BBC, and many other media outlets. A native of McAllen, TX, a city at the heart of the American immigration debate, he now lives in Denver.