New Books Network Brittany Michelle Friedman, "Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons" (UNC Press, 2025)
Dec 24, 2025
In this thought-provoking discussion, Brittany Friedman, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at USC and author of "Carceral Apartheid," dives into the intersection of race, incarceration, and institutional violence. She reveals how California prisons have long targeted Black communities, employing tactics that reflect white supremacist ideologies. Friedman explains 'carceral apartheid' as a governing strategy and highlights the significance of resistance movements like the Black Guerrilla Family. Her insights challenge listeners to rethink the narratives surrounding mass incarceration.
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Carceral Apartheid As Governing Strategy
- Carceral apartheid is a deliberate governing strategy combining formal and informal social controls.
- It depends on secrecy, deception, and extra-legal practices to manage and eliminate targeted populations.
Personal Prologue Anchors The Research
- Friedman opens the book with a personal prologue rooted in her grandmother's protest and family history.
- She uses personal lineage to model truth-telling and to ground difficult research emotionally.
Use Truth-Telling As A Research Method
- Practice 'truth-telling as method' by combining investigative rigor with historical Black feminist epistemologies.
- Treat research on hidden populations like investigation and prioritize multiple perspectives to triangulate truth.