DUPRI Seminar- Chris Uggen, Univ of Minnesota

Title: Crime, Politics, and Punishment in the Life Course: Spillovers and the Stickiness of Public Labels
Abstract: Life course sociology and criminology provide compelling evidence that the distinction between "criminal" and "non-criminal" is largely a matter of time. Yet crime discourse and policy are still deeply rooted in the notion of criminality as an immutable characteristic. This talk contrasts the fluidity in criminal behavior with the growing stickiness of public labels, drawing from demographic analysis of changes in the population bearing such records and the spillover effects on U.S. politics (including the 2020 election), health care, and labor market institutions. I conclude by considering policy interventions tailored to specific life course stages (e.g., raise-the-age) and institutions (e.g., ban-the-box, compassionate release) amidst the call for more systemic change.