Political scientist Danielle Allen turns her attention to the U.S. justice system, looking closely at the predicament of young, black men behind bars. Allen's interest in this enormous, uniquely American problem is personal. Her cousin Michael died at the age of 29 after being caught up in a cycle of violence on Los Angeles streets and in the U.S. prison system. She shares some of her family tragedy and Michael's writings with the audience and asks us to consider what could have been done differently for him and for the hundreds of men like him that can still be helped?
Danielle S. Allen is an American classicist and political scientist. She is a professor in the Government Department at Harvard University and at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. Prior to joining the faculty at Harvard in 2015, Allen was UPS Foundation Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. As of January 1, 2017, she is also James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard’s highest faculty honor.