Prisons and Justice Initiative
Prisons and Justice Initiative

The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Why It Matters Today

Professor Marc Howard introduced Heather Ann Thompson.
Professor Marc Howard introduced Heather Ann Thompson.

Heather Ann Thompson discusses her book "Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy."
Heather Ann Thompson discussed her book “Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy.”

Professor Thompson gives an informative and captivating presentation on why Attica still matters today.
Professor Thompson gave an informative and captivating presentation on why Attica still matters today.

The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Why It Matters Today

Heather Ann Thompson

Heather Ann Thompson
Wednesday, October 4, 7:30-9:30 PM
ICC Auditorium
Food and refreshments provided
RSVP here

On October 4, 2017, The Prisons and Justice Initiative, along with the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and the Department of History, was proud to host Heather Anne Thompson, the Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize-winning author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy (Pantheon Books, 2016). Thompson is a Professor of History at the University of Michigan, as well as a public intellectual who writes extensively on the history of policing, mass incarceration and the current criminal justice system. 

Blood in the Water cover

Blood in the Water received multiple additional awards and rave reviews in more than 100 popular publications, and Thompson has appeared on over 25 television shows and 50 radio programs. Blood in the Water has been optioned by TriStar Pictures and it is currently being adapted for film.  Based on more than a decade of original research, Blood in the Water offers a definitive account of the 1971 Attica Prison riot, the state’s brutally violent response, and the devastating impact of Attica on the American criminal justice and prison systems.