Mass incarceration is a burgeoning area of scholarship but it can be a difficult one to navigate because it is relatively new, responds to emerging issues, and crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. A wide variety of impressive courses are engaging the topic, but instructors may feel like they are forced to reinvent the wheel, or else secretly poach from their colleagues, when compiling syllabi.

In response, the Emerging Network project Mass Incarceration and the Carceral State developed an online pedagogical hub to store, coordinate, and curate resources for teaching and learning about mass incarceration. The site aims to encourage scholarship and teaching about the carceral state by making it easier to openly share materials, promote good ideas, and acknowledge the contributions of others working in this area.