Women of color are the fastest growing segment of the prison population. Nevertheless, women of color are largely omitted in discourses and advocacy regarding criminal justice policy. This seminar will interrogate this discursive gap and explore the intersectional impact of the regime of mass incarceration on women of color. Key issues to be examined in the seminar will include the historical antecedents to mass incarceration, contemporary mechanisms by which women of color are criminalized, the raced and gendered dimensions of women’s incarceration, and the barriers confronted by formerly incarcerated women of color upon release from prison. The course will be limited to 14 students. The seminar will include guest lectures from practitioners and activists working on behalf of formerly incarcerated women of color. Students enrolled in the seminar will be required to complete a 20-30 page original research paper. Weekly response papers and/or in-class student presentations may also be assigned.