U.S. Prisons and the Loss of Institutional Trust (Interview with Henry E. James (University College London))

Today's episode is about crime and punishment: Why are 20% of all prisoners incarcerated in the United States, if only 5% of the world's population live there? Henry E. James (University College London) is writing his PhD thesis about the loss of institutional trust in America. In this episode, we talk about how people lost their belief in the government's ability to do the right things, about mass incarceration and the "broken windows" theory.00:00 - 08:16 Introduction: The loss of institutional trust in the last few decades08:17 - 19:22 The punitive turn & why so many people are incarcerated in the U.S.19:23 - 34:28 "Broken windows": Does a stronger police presence help reduce crime?34:29 - 37:30 American prisons vs European prisons37:31 - 48:46 College programs as a way of reintegrating prisoners48:47 - 50:17 Henry's future projectsFollow Henry's projects here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/americas/research/research-students/henry-e-james