Mass Incarceration in America: Who's Locked Up and Why

The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world. There are more than two million people incarcerated in America today, and the current Wisconsin budget plans for continuing expansion of the state’s prison system. Alverno College is hosting a forum that will address the growing number of people behind bars in America. Panel members will engage in a discussion about the factors leading to mass incarceration, including the “war on drugs,” profits for privatized institutions, “tough on crime” political platforms and institutionalized racism, as well as alternatives being explored.

The forum will be moderated by Russell Brooker, professor of political science at Alverno College. Panelists include:

· Emilio DeTorre, ACLU of Wisconsin youth and program director

· Ron Johnson, director of the Dane County Restorative Justice Program

· Peg Rauschenberger, interim dean of the JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing at Alverno College

· Val Taylor, retired state public defender

The Alverno Forum series seeks to join community leaders in discussing cutting-edge topics that have a daily impact on the lives of people in our community and beyond. The next discussion in this year’s series takes place on Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sister Joel Read Conference Center. The Alverno Forum series is free and open to the public. For more details, please visit our website at http://www.alverno.edu/forum/.

About Alverno College

Alverno College, a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college for women, exists to promote the personal and professional development of its students. The college has earned accolades and respect internationally for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, and has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education. For the last six years, Alverno College was ranked one of the top five schools in the Midwest doing “the best job of educating undergrads” by U.S. News & World Report. Educators from throughout the world visit Alverno to learn about its proven, student-centered teaching methods.

Alverno offers more than 60 major areas of study, including graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business that are open to women and men. For more information about Alverno, visit www.alverno.edu or call 414-382-6100.