Criminalized Representations of the Black Body and How they Impact Mass Incarceration

Proctor, Areyana

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Criminalized Representations of the Black Body and How they Impact Mass Incarceration Public Deposited

Analytics

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/4m90dw88w

Abstract

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world. A disproportionate number of people within our prisons are people of color. Historically, media images of people of color, and Black people, in particular, have been criminalized. These criminalized messages can and have reshaped laws in society. For this project, I examined criminalized representations within select pieces of historical and current forms of media, including films, tv shows, and news reports. Through the exploration of these media representations, I analyzed the ongoing themes of the need to incarcerate the Black body, the “good souls” stereotype, an incoherence to dehumanizing conditions, a Black/white dichotomy, white society being in danger from Black violence, and an exploitative and voyeuristic nature of the media continue to be apparent. These findings were developed into a short film and used to interview artists, activists, and scholars. his film includes my analysis of the specific mediated images, along with expert and professional interviews, and images that highlight the pervasiveness of the carceral state. Both the scholarly portion and the creative portion in conversation highlight the continued pervasiveness of this issue along with the possibility of counteracting images to be created. This overall project will ultimately highlight these criminalized representations, their connection to mass incarceration, how this connects to a larger racial project within the United States, and how the media can move forward with improved representation.

Creator