You Got Booked: A mass incarceration learning experience
An immersive journey into understanding the U.S. criminal legal system
You Got Booked is a powerful experiential learning tool that brings the realities of mass incarceration to life. Developed by Mennonite Central Committee, this interactive activity helps participants understand how systemic inequities shape experiences within the criminal legal system, particularly along racial lines.
Imagine stepping into someone else's shoes as they navigate a system filled with unexpected barriers, limited choices and racial disparities. You Got Booked creates that experience.
Participants divide into teams, each representing a character with different backgrounds, resources and identities. As teams move through scenarios like traffic stops, housing applications, court appearances and job searches, they discover how factors like race, education and prior criminal records dramatically affect outcomes.
This isn't just a learning exercise. It's an eye-opening journey that makes abstract statistics deeply personal and creates space for meaningful conversation about equity, accountability, and change.
You Got Booked works well for:
Congregations and faith communities exploring their role in social change
Educational institutions teaching about the criminal legal system, sociology or policy
Community organizations working on racial equity
Workplaces committed to diversity and inclusion initiatives
Anyone curious about mass incarceration who wants to understand the system's real-world impact
The activity is especially valuable for groups new to these topics who want to build awareness and explore constructive responses. The intended audience is individuals who perceive themselves as not directly impacted by mass incarceration.
Important note: This exercise may be triggering for those with lived experience of incarceration. Given that the exercise highlights racial disparities, individuals of color may experience it differently. The realities of profiling and disproportionate incarceration rates can trigger trauma responses and discomfort. Our facilitators are trained to create safe spaces and respond to the emotional and embodied responses that can arise during this activity.
The journey (90 minutes)
Participants encounter seven diverse characters who start with different resources. Each navigates 40 decision points revealing how housing, education, employment, and the legal system intersect. As participants engage with real statistics and policies demonstrating systemic disparities, they experience the emotional weight of the barriers many people face daily.
The conversation
Facilitators guide reflection exercises that help participants process their experience and identify concrete actions.
The outcome
Participants leave with a deeper understanding of how mass incarceration disproportionately affects communities of color, awareness of intersecting systems (education, housing, healthcare, immigration), motivation to learn more and get involved, and tools for continuing conversations in their communities.
The school-to-prison pipeline
Money bail systems and pretrial detention
Racial profiling and police encounters
Employment and housing discrimination for formerly incarcerated people
The war on drugs and its disproportionate impact
Three-strikes laws and mandatory minimums
Immigration detention
Parole and probation violations
Mental health and incarceration
Barriers to reentry
Restorative approaches
Whether you're deeply engaged with criminal legal system reform or just beginning to think about these issues, You Got Booked offers a way to understand the human impact of policies and practices that affect millions of people.
This isn't about assigning blame or pushing a particular agenda. It's about creating shared understanding of how our systems work and who they impact most.
The experience often surprises participants who thought they understood these issues. It challenges assumptions, builds empathy and opens doors to conversations that might otherwise feel too difficult or divisive.
Our trained facilitators will guide your group through this transformative experience, creating a safe space for learning, reflection and growth.
What we provide:
✓ Experienced facilitator(s)
✓ All materials and setup
✓ Customized debrief session
✓ Follow-up resources
✓ Suggested next steps
What you need:
✓ A large room (gymnasium, fellowship hall or similar space)
✓ 7 to 35 participants (high school age and up)
✓ 90 minutes for the full experience
✓ Openness to honest conversation
Mass incarceration is one of the defining social issues of our time. You Got Booked offers a powerful way to understand its human impact and envision a more equitable future.
Whether you're just beginning to explore mass incarceration or seeking to deepen your group's systemic understanding of how policies and practices create inequitable outcomes, we'd love to partner with you.
Contact us to schedule You Got Booked [contact form button]
Frequently asked questions
Approximately 90 minutes, including the experience and debrief time.
High school age and older. The content addresses mature themes related to the criminal legal system.
You Got Booked is designed as an in-person experience. However, we can offer virtual presentations on mass incarceration topics. Contact us to discuss options for your group.
We typically offer this experience at no cost to congregations, schools and community organizations. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.
This is an experiential activity that educates about challenging and harmful realities of the mass incarceration system, which often brings up difficult feelings for participants. Those whose lives have been directly impacted by incarceration tend to have different responses than people who have been indirectly affected. Our facilitators are trained to hold space for emotional responses and help participants process what comes up. Participation is always voluntary, and people can take breaks as needed. The debrief time is essential to ensure participants don't leave feeling overwhelmed or hopeless.
That's exactly who this is designed for. Facilitators are trained to create brave spaces for learning. Participation is always voluntary, and support resources are available.
The full toolkit requires training. Contact us to discuss facilitator training opportunities.
Additional resources
Looking to learn more before bringing You Got Booked to your community? Explore these MCC resources:
Beyond Incarceration webinar series
PJJ fact sheets
Pipeline to Prison learning tours
Educational tools and worship resources
[Link individually or to resources page]