This episode of the Inside-Out Podcast features James Forman, Jr., a professor of Law at Yale Law School. Dr. Forman talks about his journey from public defender to law school professor and how the Inside-Out pedagogy informs his teaching. He'll also talk about his new book Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America.
Episode Guide:
1:30: Could you start out by sharing your journey from serving as a public defender to teaching in a law school?
5:37: How did you hear about and how did you get interested in teaching through the Inside-Out program?
7:37: What was it like teaching a class in the Inside-Out model for the first time. Do you think teaching an Inside-Out course changed how you taught your other classes?
12:54: Let's shift gears for a minute. You have a new book out, Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. Could you talk a little bit about what brought you to write this book?
18:07: What do you think is behind this decades-long shift in our society towards mass incarceration? Why has locking up so many Americans become such an accepted part of American policy?
21:55: In recent years the public discourse about mass incarceration has been changing. Where do you think we stand today, especially in light of the 2016 election?
25:47: What do you want your readers to take away from your book?
28:37: How does education speak to mass incarceration and, specifically, why do you see value in the Inside-Out approach to education?