Prisons have sometimes been described as one of the more racialized and racially segregated environments in the modern-day United States.
This is a topic that is explored by Goodman (2008) in his article “It’s Just ‘Black,’ ‘White,’ or ‘Hispanic’: An Observational Study of Racializing Moves in California’s Segregated Prison Reception Centers.”
Of special interest to Goodman are the ways in which racial categorizations are made in these reception centers—an essential element of this process is that before moving forward, new inmates MUST be classified in terms of their race, gang affiliation, and which racial group they will be housed with.
For this week’s discussion, please develop a post that does two things.
First, describe in detail some of Goodman’s observations regarding key incidents or illustrations of how ‘race’ takes center stage in California prisons (and in these reception centers).
Second, answer this question: Notwithstanding the fact that Goodman sometimes recognizes arbitrary elements to the racial categorization process, do you believe that Goodman is arguing that this strict racial classification process is a bad thing that should be changed or eliminated? If we were to ask Goodman to directly offer his opinion on this, what do you think he would say, and what information leads you to this conclusion?
