BriefHistory:

Warondrugsinthe1980s:19852000newincarcerationswere50%drugoffenses
majorityofpeoplewhoareincarceratedfordrugsareblack,butdruguseisprettyeven
acrossallraces
Governmentstudy:youngwhitesaremorelikelytohavesoldillegaldrugsthanblack
youths
Warondrugsfoughtinneighbourhoodspopulatedprimarilywithpeopleofcolour,
thoughdruguseishighestinruralAmerica
1/7BlackAmericanshavelosttherighttovote,insomestates
threatensdemocracyandequality

Social
Numberofpeopleincarceratedhasquadrupledsince1980
UShasthelargestprisonpopulationintheworld:
USmakesup5%ofworldspopulation,butincarcerates25%
1/100Americansareincarcerated
Cleardisparityinprisonscomparingthenumberofblackpeopleincarceratedas
opposedtowhites
Blackmenare8timesaslikelytoserveaswhitemen
50%peopleimprisonedareblackmenand19%areLatino:wayoutofproportion
comparingittothepopulation
thesefamiliesbegintodisintegrate,straininginnercityfamilies
Peoplehavebeguntoconsidertheincarcerationofyoungblackmenacommon
occurrence
ChristopherWildeman:menwhoareincarceratedearn40%lessthanbeforetheywent
toprison
reducestheirmarriageabilitybadasmarriageisabletopreventrecidivism(returning
tocrime)
criminologist
JohnLaub
andsociologist
RobertSampson
:menwhowerereleasedfrom
prisonandmarriedweredisciplinedbytheirwives,morefocusedonbuildingafamilylife
strainsthefostercaresystemalso
SocialWorkProfessorsElizabethJohnsonandJaneWaldfogel:childrenmorelikelyto
livewiththeirgrandparentsiftheirmotherisinprison
27%childrenwithincarceratedmothersareinnonrelativefostercare
researchthatthiscreatesacycle:parentsinincarcerationleadstochildrenmorelikelyto
turntocrime

Economic
NationalResearchCouncil,2009:statespendingoncorrectionshasincreasedby400%
from1980
Prisonshavebecometheprimaryprovidersofhealthcare,counselingandjobtrainingfor
mostdisadvantagedgroups

Percapitaexpendituresoncorrectionshavemorethantripledinthepastthirtyyears
totalcorrectionsexpenditures1980:$17billion,2010:$80billion
Whentaxpayeractivistslookatit,wesay,letsnotwastemoneyonprisonsandthe
judicialsystem,ifitsnotgettingussaferstreetsandsafercities.GroverNorquist,head
ofAmericansforTaxReform
longersentencesmeansthatmanyprisonersarenotold,especiallythoseincarcerated
fornonviolentcrimes
costs$68,000tosupportoneinmateperyear
Environmental
Prisonsfunctionasfactories
PanagiotiTsolkas,whoheadsaprojectattemptingtoinvolveinmatesinthe2020
EnvironmentalJusticeagendasays,Ifafactorypollutesthesurroundingcommunities
andwerealizethatsaninjustice,thenwhatdoesthatsaywhenyourfactoryisfullof
peoplewhocantleave?Thatsalotofwhatprisonsare:industrialwarehousesthat
operatefactoriesdirectlyontheproperty,[including]sewagemanagementandpower
plants.
Over500prisonsbuiltinbothruralareasandcities:mostdonotmeetenvironmental
standards
RikersIslandinNewYork:Acorrectionsofficersaidtothe
NewYorkPost
Jailhasa
smell.Icantevendescribeittoyou.Worsethanasewer
Rikerswasbuiltontopofalandfillandinitiallyhousedpigsforslaughterandanumber
ofrodents:allwerekilledusingpoisongas,deterioratingthelandalso
2006TheAssociatedPressreported:prisonfacilitiesweredumping2timestheamount
ofallowablerawsewage,includingbothhumanwasteandchemicals,intothestates
waterways,dangeringbothhumansandaquaticlife
PrisonEcologyProject:wantstoblockthebuildingofamassivestateprisonbeingbuilt
onaformercoaltowninKentuckycreatehealthhazardsbecauseoflocation,demolish
700acresintheAppalachiawhichhousesaplethoraofendangeredanimalsand
possiblywipeouttheIndianagraybats

Political
AnalysisbythePrisonPolicyInitiative:eachstateUSstateisanaberrationontheglobal
scale
USAsincarcerationratescomparetothosefoundinisolateddictatorshipsrecovering
fromcivilwar
36USstateshavehigherincarcerationratesthanCuba,thecountrywiththesecond
highest
NewYorkcomesinjustaboveRwanda,countrystillintheprocessoftryingpeoplefrom
themassgenocide
Intermsofinmates:numberofpeoplebehindbarsinasinglestateisonparwith
numberofinmatesofotherlarge,complicatedcountries
beliefthatlongersentences,moreconvictions=lesscrime

SentencingProject:Stateswhicharereducingthenumberofincarcerations,likeNew
YorkandCaliforniaactuallyseeingcrimeratesfallquickerthanthenationalaverage

Between1984&2009:timetypicallyservedinstateprisonsincreasedineachcategory
ofcrimefiveyearsformurder,threeyearsforsexualassault,eighteenmonthsfor
robbery,sixmonthsforburglary
measureusedfordeterrence
2014reportonincarcerationfromtheNationalAcademyofSciences:criminalsare
primarilydeterredfromtheriskofgettingcaught,andlongersentenceshavelittletono
effectsontheirdeterrence

BrookingsInstitutepaperbyMessrsRaphaelandStoll:longerprisontermsmainlyaffect
crimesthroughtheincapacitationeffectkeepingthosemostpronetocrimelockedup
forlongperiods

Solutions:
allowjudgestobaseeachcaseonitsmerit:endmandatoryminimumsandthreestrikes
ruleespeciallyforthosewhoareminorrepeatoffenders
giveprosecutorsmorepowertomakesentencingdecisions:nonviolent,minorcriminal
goeasy,dangerouscareercriminalsgetharderpunishments

WorksCited

Wyler,Grace."TheMassIncarcerationProbleminAmerica."
VICENewsRSS
.VICENews,
26July2014.Web.5Nov.2015.
https://news.vice.com/article/themassincarcerationprobleminamerica

Poon,Linda."HowMassIncarcerationTakesaTollontheEnvironment."
TheAtlanticCityLab.

CityLab,30July2015.Web.10Nov.2015.
http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/07/howmassincarcerationtakesatollontheenviro
n
ment/399950/

Kearney,Melissa,BenjaminHarris,ElisaJacome,andLucieParker."TenEconomicFacts
about
CrimeandIncarcerationintheUnitedStates."
TheHamiltonProject:EconomicFacts.

TheHamiltonProject,1May2014.Web.10Nov.2015.
http://www.hamiltonproject.org/papers/ten_economic_facts_about_crime_and_incarcerat
io
n_in_the_united_states/

"WhatIstheEffectofMassIncarcerationonUrbanBlackFamilies?"
UrbanPortal.
Universityof
Chicago,1June2011.Web.27Nov.2015.
<
http://urbanportal.org/issues/entry/what_is_the_effect_of_mass_incarceration_on_urban_black
_families/
>.

Rigelhaupt,Jess."PrisonEpidemicHasn'tResultedinSaferStreets."
FredericksburgFree
LanceStar
.05Apr.2012:n.p.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.W
eb.27Nov.2015.

"JailhouseNation."
TheEconomist
.TheEconomistNewspaper,20June2015.Web.27Nov.
2015.
<
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21654619howmakeamericaspenalsystemlesspu
nitiveandmoreeffectivejailhousenation
>.