Although Miriam Kavalerchik is a political science major, she is working with Dr. Heath Hoffmann in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to get a better understanding on the politics of incarceration in the United States. This independent study layers the foundation for her bachelor’s essay titled “Placement of the Mentally Ill in our State Prison Systems: A Comparative Case Study of New York and South Carolina’s State Prisons,” which is supervised in the Department of Political Science. The project will be looking at regional differences in how mentally ill offenders are treated in the criminal justice system.
Independent Study Title: Incarceration Nation: Culture and Politics of Incarceration in the United States
Abstract: This study looks at how the political nature and culture in the United States’ current society has created an atmosphere for the incarceration numbers in the United States to significantly increase in the past several decades. By studying the primary targeted groups of citizens for incarceration, the history behind why these groups are targeted, and the stigma associated with these isolated groups, clear patterns can be detected. The elements that comprise our criminal justice system, from the police officers to the judges and justices serving in our many courts, all play significant roles in allowing the culture of increased incarceration to thrive in the United States. I am working to connect the dots from the sources of power in our criminal justice system to those most affected: the incarcerated persons in the United States and their families.
Miriam explains:
“Interested in pursuing a career in law, I am working towards finding out why disparities exist in different regions of the United States as far as the treatment and imprisonment rates of state prisoners. It is disheartening to know that the United States imprisons more people each year than any other country in the world, and I am determined, through both my independent study and bachelor’s essay work, to figure out how our political ideologies may cause this phenomenon. My interest in focusing on the mentally ill population’s stigma and treatment in state prisons stems from my interest in both public policy and our criminal justice system, sparked from my three internships I have had in different fields of this larger system.”