Indigent Defense and the Carceral Economy: How do we reform the prison system and ensure meaningful rehabilitation? Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This thesis attempts to trace the inhuman treatment of convicted persons and the unjust

nature of our criminal legal system until the decision of Gideon v. Wainwright to finally the

current treatment of indigent clients and their defenders. The first section introduces the topic of

the carceral system within the framework of torture practices of convicted persons before

providing an outline for the rest of the thesis. The second section explores the American prison

system within various historical contexts. This section most closely analyzes the pervasive

racism and classism within the criminal legal system. The third section of this thesis explores the

inadequate funding and understaffing of indigent defense teams fueling the carceral fire. Finally,

the last section explores state solutions in addition to state-separate solutions. This thesis

attempts to prove that state indigent defense teams are used as a vehicle by the state to keep

people incarcerated as a means of perpetuating mass incarceration for their own selfish interests,

most specifically for maintaining the penal economy. However, most importantly, this thesis

makes the case for meaningful rehabilitation for both victims and perpetrators in order to quell

the cycle of violence.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction, pg. 1

II. The Prison System, pg. 9

III. The Defenders, pg. 25

IV. Solutions and Conclusion, pg.42

Bibliography, pg. 56

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

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School	Emory College
Department	Philosophy
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Philosophy
Keyword	Penal Economy Mass Incarceration Transformative Justice Indigent Defense Prison
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dilek Huseyinzadegan, Emory University
Committee Members	Sarah Higinbotham, Emory University Ernesto Blanes-Martinez, Emory University

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