The Effects of Imprisonment at a Time of Mass Incarceration

• In Event: Prisoners and Prisons (Panel 3 of 3)

Abstract

This article reviews the research on the effects of imprisonment on imprisoned people during the era of mass incarceration and offers a normative framework for reducing the reach and harms of imprisonment, while investing in a values-driven and community-centered approach to public safety. Research shows that imprisonment has deleterious effects on imprisoned peoples’ physical, mental, and economic well-being. These harms are long-lasting, extending beyond the period of incarceration, and also impact the families and communities of those experiencing imprisonment. Within the United States, imprisonment disproportionately impacts low-income individuals and people of color. Women, LGBTQ people, and other marginalized groups also experience nuanced “pains of imprisonment” that reflect and reify social stratification more broadly. In this context, we discuss two broad sets of policy reforms: comprehensive sentencing reform that reduces reliance on confinement for all types of offenses, including violent crime, and broad initiatives that reduce reliance on prison and jails while also investing in housing, education, treatment, health, and communities. The conclusion invites researchers studying the effects of mass incarceration to consider engaging in “problem-solving” (Prasad 2018) research in which scholars study not only mass incarceration’s effects, but also efforts to achieve public safety and well-being through alternative means.

Authors

• Katherine Beckett, University of Washington

• Allison Goldberg, University of Washington