Punishment, the U.S. Record is a Social Research Conference, November 30-December 1, 2006, in New York City. This conference is supported by the Ford Foundation, The Open Society Instituter's U.S. Justice Fund, the Russell Sage Foundation, and others.

The purpose is to address topics such as:

• Why we Punish: The Foundation of Our Concepts of Punishment (What does this mean for our democracy?)  Speakers include: James Q. Whitman, Moshe Halbertal, Bernard E. Harcourt
   
• What and How We Punish: Law, Justice and Punishment (What are the social effects? Are there viable alternatives?) Speakers include: Nancy Gertner, James Jacobs and Stephen Bright, John J. Donohue III, and Michael Tonlry
   
• Who Do We Punish: The Carceral State - Speakers include: Mark Dow, and Jonathan Simon
   
• What are the Consequences? Speakers include: Jeremy Travis, Todd Clear, and Deborah Mukamal

Unconfirmed speaker: U.S. Senator Barack Obama