One of the greatest myths about mass incarceration is that its been driven by crime and crime rates, when in fact our prison population has exploded quintupled in a period of a few short decades. Mass incarceration is a term used by historians and sociologists to describe the substantial increase in the number of incarcerated people in the united states prisons over the past forty years. Benjamin justice 2014 mass incarceration and the making of citizens, history of education. Jacob kangbrown, oliver hinds, jasmine heiss, and olive. Peter ganong, steven levitt, and thomas marvell for sharing data. Mass incarceration on trial examines a series of landmark decisions about prison conditionsculminating in brown v. But simon shows that the effects of mass incarceration and total incapacitation have gone beyond exacerbating the more familiar social injustices. Feb 08, 2017 but in his new book locked in, criminologist john pfaff challenges that assumption, attributing mass incarceration primarily to violent crime and the public policy response to it. The prison population of the united states dwarfs the prison populations of every other developed country in the world, including countries thought to be repressive like china and russia. The tentacles of mass incarceration have a long reach even the whole pie of incarceration above represents just one small portion 16% of the women under correctional supervision. But in his new book locked in, criminologist john pfaff challenges that assumption, attributing mass incarceration primarily to.
Unwinding the system of mass incarceration requires a new focus on spurring economic growth in lowincome communities, addressing systemic racism, building a better system to address mental health, and more. Crenshaw abstract the structural and political dimensions of gender violence and mass incarceration are linked in multiple ways. We all know that orange is the new black and mass incarceration is the new jim crow, but how much do we actually know about the structure, goals, and impact of our criminal justice system. Thinking intersectionally about women, race, and social control kimberle w.
It and mumias case more generally was a great eyeopener to how. But it does not appear that mass incarceration has had a direct effect on crime rates. Lobuglio is director of corrections and reentry at the council of state governments justice center. But the legacy of mass incarceration is not one of only datasets and policy. After decades of stability from the 1920s to the early 1970s, the rate of imprisonment in the united states more than quadrupled. The myriad causes and consequences of mass incarceration discussed herein. Mass incarceration five books expert recommendations. Poverty, prejudice, and punishment harvard university. Jacob kangbrown, oliver hinds, jasmine heiss, and olive lu. Supreme courtthat has opened an unexpected escape route from this trap of tough on crime politics. His own latest book, the vanishing middle class, charts americas regression towards a preindustrial society. The bureau of justice statistics has released new evidence that mass incarceration continues to unwind in the united states.
How we misunderstand mass incarceration a new book argues that, in the effort to fix the prison epidemic, we are addressing the wrong things and missing the true problem. The full reach of this change was captured in headlines from the new york times in february 2008 that declared, 1 in 100 u. Anne morrison piehl is a professor in the department of economics and director of the program in criminal justice at rutgers university in new brunswick, new jersey. It offers a new lens for interpreting how gods justice is manifested in the world, and provides tangible steps for individual christians and congregations who are interested in pursuing. Oct 27, 2016 the th describes mass incarceration as a backlash to the civil rights and black power movements, with some compelling footage of black panther assata shakur and other activists. Heres another sign the era of mass incarceration is slowly. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by michelle alexander michelle alexander shows how you can change a system politically and legally, but without ever destroying its social roots. Sep 30, 2016 the problem of mass incarceration, in which more than 2.
His next book is a peoples guide to mass incarceration, to be published by the new press in 2015. A remarkable court decision and the future of prisons in america in new york journal of books. Apr 19, 2012 in her awardwinning book, the new jim crow. What we get wrong about mass imprisonment in america the. Popular incarceration books meet your next favorite book. It was before mass incarceration, she said, as if mass incarceration were some kind of natural disaster. Exploring the history and foundations of mass incarceration, dominique gilliard examines christianitys role in its evolution and expansion, assessing justice in light of scripture, and showing how christians can pursue justice that. The numbers show that ending mass incarceration requires reform everywhere.
Again, this is in stark contrast to the general incarcerated population mostly men, where a full third of those under correctional. In contrast, the past decade has given rise to what is widely recognized as an era of reform, with prison admission rates declining by 24 percent since 2006 and. Edgar hoover and president nixon thought than on what theyor othersdid. Review of jonathan simon, mass incarceration on trial. List of books and articles about mass incarceration online. Jun 26, 2017 given the decline in crime in the last 10 years, supporters of mass incarceration believe the high cost of incarceration is thoroughly justified. Apr 11, 2016 mass incarceration happened because mass incarceration was popular.
View mass incarceration research papers on academia. It is too narrow to, as the film does, date mass incarceration to ronald reagans expansion of the war on drugs in the 1980s and bill clintons 1994 crime bill. Does mass incarceration work wharton public policy. Mass incarceration happened because mass incarceration was popular. How we misunderstand mass incarceration the new yorker. From slavery to mass incarceration antiracist alliance. The rise of mass incarceration, spanning the 1970s to the early 2000s, was characterized by continuous, unified growth in both prison and jail populations across states and counties. Jul 09, 2014 but simon shows that the effects of mass incarceration and total incapacitation have gone beyond exacerbating the more familiar social injustices. May 17, 2019 unwinding the system of mass incarceration requires a new focus on spurring economic growth in lowincome communities, addressing systemic racism, building a better system to address mental health, and more. In the course of the past year, james has been involved in a struggle to maintain his job as a contract lecturer and hourly employee at the university of illinois. This trend is all the more striking for occurring during a period when significant numbers of africanamericans have entered into and risen through the ranks of the police.
Rather, mass incarceration has always been a bipartisan political project of social controla counterrevolution by liberals and conservatives alike. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by michelle alexander. The best books on race and american policing, recommended by joe domanick. Summary we all know that orange is the new black and mass incarceration is the new jim crow, but how much do we actually know about the structure, goals, and impact of our criminal justice system. This important polemic from kilgore presents a grim picture of the u. Lobuglio and anne morrison piehl explore the challenges that local jurisdictions face in reducing their reliance on incarceration. The mass incarceration of african americans coincides with a new era in criminal justice research.
Does mass incarceration work wharton public policy initiative. Aug 11, 2015 understanding mass incarceration offers the first comprehensive overview of the incarceration apparatus put in place by the worlds largest jailer. Informed by research and experience working in corrections, the authors argue that unwinding mass incarceration requires more than stopping current practices or reversing. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, has brought a critical analysis of what she calls a system of social control unparalleled in world history 7 to a mass audience. More must be done to help the large number of people already in the criminal justice system successfully reenter societyor risk undermining support for reform by lobuglio, stefan f piehl, anne morrison issues in science and technology, vol. Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness, alexander explains how americas criminal justice system is no longer a system of crime prevention, but one of social and racial control, similar to segregation in the south. The new dynamics of mass incarceration vera institute. Following the money of prison mass incarceration policy. Jan 01, 2016 the bureau of justice statistics has released new evidence that mass incarceration continues to unwind in the united states. Heres another sign the era of mass incarceration is.
List of books and articles about mass incarceration. But prisons and jails are just one piece of the criminal justice system and the amount of media and. Michelle alexander readings our main reading for understanding michelle alexanders perspective on mass incarceration was schools and the new jim crow. Exploring the history and foundations of mass incarceration, dominique gilliard examines christianitys role in its evolution and expansion, assessing justice in light of scripture, and showing how christians can pursue justice that restores and reconciles. Tim carr for generous assistance with data from georgia. Following the money of mass incarceration by peter wagner and bernadette rabuy january 25, 2017. How current practices of charging inmates perpetuates mass incarceration almost 7 million people, or 1 in 35 adults, were under the supervision of adult correctional systems at the end of 20. The impacts of incarceration on crime david roodman1 open philanthropy project september 2017 1 i thank holden karnofsky for guidance and support, mark schaffer for advice on applying the andersonrubin test. Given the decline in crime in the last 10 years, supporters of mass incarceration believe the high cost of incarceration is thoroughly justified. According to david garland, imprisonment used synonymously with incarceration becomes mass imprisonment when it ceases to be the incarceration of individual offenders and becomes the systematic imprisonment of whole groups.
We went from a prison population of about 300,000 in the 1970s and into the early 1980s, to now well over 2 million. Social scientists are increasingly applying empirical methods to understand the impact of crime control policies and to supply data to judges, legislators, and policymakers. Understanding mass incarceration offers the first comprehensive overview of the incarceration apparatus put in place by the worlds largest jailer. King research associate, marc mauer executive director and. Drawing on a growing body of academic and professional work, understanding mass incarceration describes in plain english the many competing theories of criminal justicefrom. An overview of changes in incarceration and crime in all 50 states reveals no consistent relationship between. All of these terms refer to a largescale shift toward formal incarceration as our collective social response to crime. The social and moral cost of mass incarceration in african. The extreme strain to appreciate both the limits and potential of brown it is important to recognize that california is simultaneously an extreme case of the general phenomenon of mass incarceration that took hold across the american state, and one that reveals its underlying between roughly 1975 and.
Mass incarceration and the book cover josh macphee i became aware of the problems within the u. In this article in issues in science and technology, stefan f. Ending mass incarceration brennan center for justice. An interview with michelle alexander, by jody sokolower, in the winter 201112. In the essays that follow, authors lay out thoughtful paths for holistic reform. The effect that mass incarceration has had on blacks as a subset of the american population cannot be understated. The crime rate was high in the 1980s and 90s, so there were plenty of criminals to lock up. The problem of mass incarceration, in which more than 2.
925 738 864 699 682 1273 302 819 904 889 1128 1183 647 87 710 553 502 671 686 619 798 656 458 1020 346 1476 1423 1045 769 844 986 586 712 660