David Knight, Columbia University
The Politics of Incarcerated People
About the Presentation
Studies often link criminalization to reduced political engagement, but little research examines political socialization within prisons. This study analyzes 2020 and 2024 survey data from nearly 50,000 incarcerated individuals across U.S. jails and prisons, revealing significant mobilization across political attitudes and behavior, especially among imprisoned Black respondents with longer sentences. These findings challenge the view that incarceration demobilizes, suggesting instead that incarceration correlates with increased mobilization over time.
About the Speaker
David J. Knight is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. A political sociologist of the carceral state, David studies how communities experience and mobilize in response to mass imprisonment. His research has appeared in venues such as the American Journal of Sociology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Annual Review of Criminology, and RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.
Seminar Format
Location IN PERSON: 2208 LeFrak Hall. We are requesting advanced registration so that we can track capacity. Please use this link to RSVP for in-person attendance.
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