A Tale of Two Educations: Custodial Citizens and the "Hidden Curricula"

• In Event: Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference I: Countering Democratic Backsliding through Civic Education for All Students

Abstract

How does the carceral state educate, and what behavioral consequences does this have? We know much about traditional civic knowledge, and how this affects political participation, but we know little about the political learning acquired by those involved with the carceral state, and how this affects their political behavior. I argue that we should consider this a separate type of political knowledge, one that is vital to understanding the political participation of custodial citizens. Contact with the carceral state creates political learning that is centered around the criminal justice system, which in turn enables political action aimed at features of the system such as changing laws, policies or the fate of specific justice-involved people. I explore and deepen this theory using a series of focus group discussions with custodial citizens.

Author

• Klara Maria Cecilia Fredriksson, Beloit College