Reinterpreting Humanity in Inhumane Conditions: Ethics, Illness, and the Invisibility of Mass Incarceration

Abstract: The rapid and unprecedented rise of policing and mass incarceration has reordered the social, political, and medical landscape of the United States. Five decades in, an older and increasingly ill prison population has emerged, with 1 in 4 incarcerated adults being above the age of 50. In this paper, I examine the ethical ramifications of this sea change through two central questions: what does it mean to be free when one’s freedom involves the confinement and bondage of vulnerable populations? And how can we recall the humanity and moral status of those we cannot see, whether through incarceration or illness? Taking Levinas and the ethics of encounter as a point of departure, I interrogate the concepts of freedom, justice, and ethics in the face of an invisible Other. I begin by identifying illness as a unique means of access to ethical inquiry. First considering the condition of the incarcerated-while-ill as an issue of justice, I outline some strengths and weaknesses of applying justice-based frameworks. Making a turn toward the ethical, I examine the human stakes of incarcerating the seriously ill. This paper diverges from traditional form by drawing upon the testimony and lived history of incarcerated friends, as well as my personal experience working within and against the American carceral system. In sum, this paper explores the possibility of facing the faceless, and invites the audience to meaningfully engage with the incarcerated and their political, medical, and ethical situation.