We Can't Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax

• In Event: Roundtable: The Economic Impact of Mass Incarceration

Abstract

The costs associated with having a family member who is incarcerated are crippling, but opaque governance of prisons and jails, the stigma associated with incarceration, and other factors limit the public’s exposure to these costs. Now, for the first time, FWD.us has worked with leading researchers at Duke University and NORC at the University of Chicago to document that incarceration is costing families with incarcerated loved ones almost $350 billion every year. As part of this research, we’ve also found that people with an immediate family member (parent, sibling, child, grandchild, spouse, or co-parent) in prison are spending an average of nearly $4,200 annually to stay in touch with and support each of their loved ones behind bars. In an era of profound anxiety when economic issues related to the cost of living and inflation dominated the most recent election and continue to be an ongoing concern for most voters, these numbers should shock policymakers and stakeholders on both sides of the political aisle.

Author

• Felicity Rose, FWD.us