Mass Incarceration and Educational Outcomes in California

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Policies and the Sociopolitical Environment: Impacts on Lives and Outcomes

Abstract

More than 2 million Americans are in prisons or jails and 5 million are on probation. The expansion of the criminal justice system is concentrated among the most disadvantaged and operates as an additional barrier to social mobility. However, there is little research on the contextual ecologies and spill-over effects created by this concentration. This study attempts to address this limitation by investigating the effects of expanded incarceration on educational outcomes using multi-level growth curve modeling, controlling for county demographic characteristics and arrest rates, across 58 counties within California from 2009-2014. Preliminary results indicate a one percentage point change in a county’s new felony admissions per 100,000 felony arrests is associated with a decrease in graduation rates.

Author

• Alexandra Aylward, New York University