#289 - First Steps Towards Ending Mass Incarceration: A Dialogue with Colleen Eren

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Colleen Eren about mass incarceration and the First Step Act. They discuss the current landscape of mass incarceration, jail and prison, and why people have started caring about mass incarceration. They discuss the First Step Act, bipartisan support, ‘94 crime bill, and the history of legislation on incarceration since LBJ. They talk about “mainstreamization,” billionaire involvement, celebrity involvement, impact of the First Step Act, and where future legislation goes on mass incarceration.

Colleen Eren is Associate Professor and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program Director at William Paterson University. She has her PhD in Sociology from City University of New York, The Graduate Center. She is a member of the Crime and Justice Research Alliance of the American Society of Criminology. She has written three books including her most recent book, Reform Nation: The First Step Act and The Movement to End Mass Incarceration.

Twitter: @colleeneren