Oberdick, Abigail

Prisons in the United States

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I have always been interested in examining societal conditions and patterns, specifically when it comes to the criminal justice system, drug use and abuse, and education. Therefore, I chose to focus my thesis on the criminal justice system, which is not only something that sparks my interest, but is also an aspect of U.S. society that needs to be restructured.

Majors: Sociology and Public Relations & Advertising

Senior, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

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Abstract

This thesis examines sociological concepts such as criminalization, social labeling theory, self-fulfilling prophecy, deviance, intersectionality, and the sociological imagination in relation to the War on Drugs and mass incarceration in the United States. An analysis of prisons in the U.S., specifically private prisons, is outlined to suggest that private prisons are unethical. The Nordic countries are incorporated to highlight criminal justice systems that are ethical and effective to propose how the U.S. can make changes to the criminal justice system in the future.

Thesis Director: Mark Wodziak

Department: Sociology

Faculty Reader: Noel Barker

Department: Sociology

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Narrated Project Poster