The New Reality of American Imprisonment

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

For the first time in a century, the United States has experienced sustained reductions in incarceration. Since 2007, the national imprisonment rate for state prisons has declined 20 percent and the prison admission rate has declined 33 percent. This national trend, however, masks considerable heterogeneity by state, offense type, and racial group. Against this backdrop, this panel examines the new reality of American imprisonment by answering several pressing questions, including: 1) What are the race- and offense-specific processes underlying the new incarceration trends? 2) Which inputs are driving the changes in incarceration, criminal offending, crime reporting, policing, or criminal case processing? 3) How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect prison admissions? And 4) how did political polarization influence sentencing reforms and incarceration trends in recent decades?

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 48. Jails & Prisons

Individual Presentations

• Explaining the Decline in Incarceration Rates and Racial Disparities in Imprisonment - Michael Light, University of Wisconsin; Jason Robey, University at Albany, SUNY

• The Short- and Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 on Prisons and Racial Inequalities in Imprisonment - Jason Robey, University at Albany, SUNY

• Punishment in Polarized Times: Legislative Gridlock and Decreases in State Incarceration Rates - Scott Duxbury, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Breaking the Cycle: How Police, Courts, and Prisons Influence Homicide Rates. - Gonzalo Croci, Universidad ORT Uruguay; Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos sobre Inseguridad y Violencia (CELIV); Joel Gomez, Universidad ORT Uruguay

Chair

• Michael Light, University of Wisconsin