Examining the Correlates and Consequences of Local Incarceration Rates in New York State Over Time

• In Event: Causes and Consequences of Prison Population Growth

Abstract

As mass incarceration as a social problem has garnered more attention there has been a growing awareness that mass incarceration is unevenly distributed geographically, leading to concerns that mass incarceration therefore negatively impacts certain localities unfairly. But there remains the need to empirically investigate the nature of these aggregate local impacts. This study examines local imprisonment patterns in New York State over time. Correlations among incarceration rates and community-level demographic factors and crime rates are examined over time to better understand how various incarceration levels impact localities over time. The implications for research and policy are discussed.

Author

• Paul Richard Schupp, Niagara University