the documentary “the house i live in”

Have you ever broken a rule, regulation, or a law (whether or not you were caught)? How did you rationalize what you did? How does your answer fit into one of theoretical approaches discussed in class and in your textbook?

Imagine that a friend of yours has just told you that he or she believes that mass incarceration stems from bad people making bad choices. Drawing from the evidence portrayed in the film, make a sociological argument that mass incarceration is the product of changes to our social institutions and social policies.
When substance users are stigmatized by society and blamed for their own addicted state, how are broader institutions (e.g., government, education, health care) alleviated from responsibility? Explain your answer using race/ethnicity, gender, class, etc.
How is the ‘prison industrial complex’ exemplified in this film? Give concrete examples you found while watching the film.

Explain how police discretion is exemplified in the film. What biases are at play here?

What public policy and law changes do you think should be made to reduce the U.S. incarceration rate? Or do you believe that a system that promotes retribution rather than rehabilitation is a better deterrent of drug use or crime in general?