Critical Conversations: The Cradle to Prison Pipeline is designed to teach students, faculty, staff, and public about mass incarceration in the U.S. and Louisiana with the intention of increasing social justice in the federal and state criminal justice systems. Our goals, then, are increased awareness, increased commitment to social justice, and informed action. This service model includes a series of workshops, book discussions, presenters, speakers, panel discussions, service projects/trips and an ongoing blog space that will continuously engage students, faculty, and staff in critical conversations about mass incarcerations.

The Children's Defense Fund has determined that one in three African American boys will be incarcerated at some point in life. The phrase "Cradle to Prison Pipeline," developed by the Children's Defense Fund, describes the social injustice of mass incarceration in the U.S. The Children's Defense Fund has also determined that individuals and organizations can dismantle this pipeline by learning about the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and taking actions such as volunteering with an after-school program, mentoring children, and organizing forums to learn and teach about the Cradle to Prison Pipeline at the local and state levels. Again, the purpose of the social justice workshop of this service model on the Cradle to Prison Pipeline is to build a community of students, faculty, and staff, who will study the criminal justice system in the U.S. and develop service projects and a website to address injustices in order to dismantle this pipeline in the U.S. broadly and Louisiana specifically.