Running head: WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY?

The Impact of the Mass Incarceration on Society and its Contribution to Crime

Research into Mass Incarceration

Jorge Lopez

California State University, Long Beach

Author Note

This paper was prepared for Criminal Justice 304, Section 01 1424, taught by Professor

Meeks.
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Abstract

For centuries the idea of incarceration has been used as a form of punishment,

rehabilitation, and simply as a way of keeping criminals out of our communities. In other words,

criminals are imprisoned for years, and this population continues to increase. Throughout the

years, individuals have been incarcerated for policies and ideologies that have implemented. For

example, the “War on Drugs”, “War on Terrorism”, mandatory minimum sentences, and so on.

This research study examines the further implications that the mass incarceration of individuals

imposes on the taxpayer, communities of color, and society in general.

WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 3

What Impact Does Mass Incarceration Have on Society?

Research into Mass Incarceration

Introduction

For years, incarceration has been a primitive practice, punishment, and method of

deterring and incapacitating criminals from repeatedly committing crimes. Some may argue that

it dates back to even before the 1800s when prison systems were at their inception. To be

thorough, as prison systems were increasing, so was the population of inmates who inhabited

these institutions. This is a contemporary problem that Criminal Justice scholars have to face,

argue and solve. On the other hand, one may ask why this is problematic if criminals are being

removed from society where they can commit more crimes by being placed in prison. As

aforementioned, there is evidence that shows prisons all over the country are overcrowded; thus,

not making it efficient to mass incarcerate criminals as a solution to the crime problem. Mass

incarceration has proved to be a temporary solution, but not a permanent one. Nevertheless,

criminals are still mass incarcerated. As a result, inmates are released back into society without

proper instructions or help, mass incarceration costs years of taxpayer dollars to house criminals

for elongated periods of time (depending on their sentence), and prisons are overcrowded which

in time is detrimental to the corrections system. Criminal justice theorists, scholars have the duty

of finding a solution to this temporary problem of mass incarceration. If something is not done to

replace this method of punishment, taxpayers will continue to pay for criminals and inmates will

continue to re-enter prisons all over the country; therefore, making a contribution to the already

existent issue of crime.

Problem Statement
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 4

The purpose of this paper is to outline the problem of mass incarceration. To be clear,

“historians are joining the growing ranks of social scientists, attorneys, journalists, and even

politicians who recognize “mass incarceration” in the United States as one of the defining (and

most troubling) features of our time” (Lichtenstein, 2015, p. 114). As aforementioned, it is an

issue which is detrimental to society as a whole because of the recurring and continuous cycle of

crime in which inmates are constantly re-entering prison, taxpayer dollars are being used to

house criminals, and it is destructive to the social statuses of people of color who have only been

convicted of minor offenses. Also, as criminals are constantly incarcerated it does not fix the

problem of crime the United States is facing today. This recurring crime is a result of the inmates

who are released back into the community, society, and in general, amongst people. Taxpayer

dollars are used to house these inmates who keep re-entering prisons as they fail to re-integrate

into society. Not only does this affect people in general, but people of color. For multiple

reasons, minorities are the ones who are affected the most because of this, as stated before,

recurring problem of mass incarceration that is yet to be fixed. Further along, this paper will

explain in more detail how inmates, society, and prisons are correlated when it comes to this

issue.

Background

There is research that indicates the implications mass incarceration has on society,

communities of color, inmates and most importantly the taxpayers. The articles explain the

economic, social, and even political areas that get affected by the large-scale imprisonment of

criminals, even the ones who commit minor offenses such as petty theft. There is also research

that shows what happens when inmates are released and they are re-incarcerated due to the lack
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 5

of knowledge on how to reintegrate back into society as a functioning member. This topic has

extensive explanations and supporting studies that also advocate for the people who are released

after serving their sentences, who are then criminalized for the rest of their lives for a minor

offense they might have committed. It is difficult for people of color who are trying to find

employment, and a place to stay because the conviction follows them for years, if not forever.

Mass incarceration is a problem that has been happening ever since policies implicating drugs,

people of color, and minor offenses have been established.

Significance of the Study

This topic/problem was selected for study and examination to further educate and

research on the possible implications mass incarceration has on society, in particular the

taxpayers, and the progress of minorities who are the majority of prison populations. With “more

than 60% of people in prison today [being] people of color”, the United States is leading in the

highest percentage of incarcerated people (The Sentencing Project, 2015, p. 5). This is a problem

is important to understand because, as a taxpayer, money is being used to house criminals who

will more than likely reoffend and be incarcerated. This is a continuous cycle that will keep

costing the taxpayer money without having any real solution anytime soon.

To have a better understanding as to why mass incarceration is important to study,

Lichtenstein (2015) gives us a brief synopsis of the increasing rates of inmate populations due to

mass incarceration:

Only a generation ago the nation’s incarceration rate had remained steady for a

century—at about 100 prisoners per 100,000 people—and...Since 1970 the

number of felons confined in state and federal prisons has multiplied by a factor
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of eight, and the overall prison incarceration rate in the United States has zoomed

to nearly 500 per 100,000 people, a fivefold increase. As late as 1977 the prison

population had barely surpassed 300,000; the latest Bureau of Justice Statistics

figures show that in 2010 the U.S. prison population reached its historic peak of

over 1.5 million inmates, after the country had embarked on “the steepest and

most sustained increase in the rate of imprisonment that has been recorded since

the birth of the modern prison in the nineteenth century”. (p. 113)

It is important to know the implications that the mass incarceration of millions of people

is only hurting the United States, society, and inmates themselves. To determine how the

development of the United States will play out in the years to come, it is also important to

understand mass incarceration as an entity, phenomenon, and issue that affects the country as a

whole. It is a problem in other countries as well, but as aforementioned, the United States is the

country leading in incarceration rates. It is the country that incarcerates their poor the most, and

sometimes because of minor violations. Also, as the War on Drugs, and the War on Terrorism

have been enacted, there has been an increase in incarcerations. Primarily due to the fact that

mandatory minimum sentences have also been established. Mass incarceration is an issue that

only shadows greater problems in this country, but it is extremely important, and crucial to

understand and learn about these problems that can pave the way to solving the even greater

ones.

Hypotheses

Furthermore, the hypothesis here is that mass incarceration in fact does affect society in

the ways mentioned before and overall is an issue that brings about controversy. Further along
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 7

this paper, through research, hard evidence, and with the use of theories to explain this

phenomena, will determine whether this proposition is true. In fact, theories such as the Life

Course Theory, Social Disorganization Theory, and Revolving Door Theory and so on will be

used to identify and further explain the detriment that mass incarceration actually caused to a

fully functioning society.

First, the mass incarceration of individuals does not ensure that crime will be terminated.

Instead, all it does is contribute to the “revolving door” theory that leads to the inefficient

rehabilitation of offenders. Since the majority of prisons are overcrowded, Hockensmith (2013)

states that corrections systems are “constantly reviewing inmates for placement back into the

community, so the ‘revolving door’ is always spinning” (p. 16). This means that inmates who

were convicted for committing minor offenses will be constantly reviewed for possible eligibility

to be released. Also, inmates who have served their sentences will be released back into the

community with no further knowledge on how to continue life after prison. The issue with this is

that most of these inmates are minorities, who do not have a plan, idea, or the knowledge on how

to reintegrate back into society. Petersilia (2000) states that “the majority of inmates leave prison

with no savings, no immediate entitlement to unemployment benefits, and few job prospects” (p.

3). In other words, most prisons do not guide the inmates or give them a plan. Most of the

inmates are driven off a few miles away from the prisons and are given their belongings from

when they were first incarcerated, the small amount of money they might have, and any mental

illnesses they might have conjured up while incarcerated. Some ex-inmates fall into poverty,

death, mental illnesses, and even then a life of a crime and constant imprisonment because of

these factors. Furthermore, all these factors contribute to the ex-inmates’ motivation to commit
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crimes once again because of the obstacles which make it difficult for them to properly

reestablish themselves as functioning members of society.

There is a notion that states that removing criminals from communities is the best for

society, but that may also not be the case. Crutchfield and Weeks (2015) argue that “since most

people who are incarcerated return to the same neighborhoods, or very similar places as those

they were removed from, their presence in large numbers, when they go home, adds a substantial

burden there, too” (p. 46). There needs to be an understanding that when criminals come back to

a community, if they have not received the proper knowledge to allow them to reintegrate back

into society, they will commit crimes once again. This also affects the communities in which

they tend to inhabit once they are released from prisons. In time, property value for various

homes begins to decrease when crime increases in those areas. This is where policy makers, law

makers, criminologists, and social scientists alike must find a solution to this epidemic of mass

incarceration. The large imprisonment of individuals only assures the fact that millions of

inmates will in time reoffend, and then go through incarceration once gain. There are various

ways to combat this problem of ex-criminals returning to prisons. For example, Schwartz (2015)

argues that “for the formerly incarcerated, engagement in adult learning, whether high school

equivalency (HSE) or college, decreases the likelihood that they will return to prison, increases

opportunities for employment, and serves as a powerful re-integration tool in society” (p. 51). It

is the duty of society to help these inmates reintegrate back into society as best as possible. This

way it will be easier for ex-criminals to function properly in society; thus, reducing the crime

that would follow if they were not helped. Furthermore, it is also crucial to use taxpayer money

that is already being used to house these criminals in order to implement recovery, education,
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and vocational studies programs, so that when they are about to be released they can have a head

start, or an idea of what they want to do after living a life of imprisonment.

Prisoners are usually granted parole as a form of carrying out, or finishing their

sentences. This does not mean that prisoners finish their sentences as parolees. Ex-inmates are

expected to carry out their lives as responsible, and functioning members of society as they carry

out their sentences while being a parolee.

Petersilia (2000) explains what it means when a parolee is released back into society

without the proper training or knowledge:

People released from prison remain largely uneducated and unskilled and usually

have little in the way of a solid family support system. To these deficits are added

the unalterable fact of their prison record. Not surprisingly, most parolees fault

and do so quickly: Most rearrests occur in the first 6 months after release. (p. 3)

These are obstacles that many ex-offenders have to face when they are released from

prison. In other words there must be policy, training, teaching, and/or guidance that will further

help these inmates who are in preparation of being released. Inmates are notified days ahead of

their release date which means they have time to go through this training. It is important to

understand the struggle that many inmates have to go through, and even then minorities. With

minorities already at the edge of social conflict, it is damaging to their social status to position

minorities at an even greater disadvantage.

There are various factors that determine mass incarceration as a detrimental issue to the

United States. Most importantly, the economic downside this problem and the results it ensues.

The United States uses taxpayer money for a large amount of expenditures. Mass incarceration is
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one of those expenditures in which millions of taxpayer money is used in order to house millions

of inmates. Lichtenstein (2015) states “that the best way to trim the state’s massive budget

deficits [is] to reduce the cost of the carceral state” (p. 122). In other words, most states run

corrections systems in which prisons are costing large amounts of money in order to operate. The

only way to get rid of this problem of large deficits is to reduce the cost that these prisons

require. Which also means that mass incarceration must be eliminated because it is costing the

taxpayers large amounts of money to keep millions of criminals incarcerated. As stated before,

most of these criminals are in prison for minor offenses, violations, and even drug charges.

Regardless, they are sometimes required to serve prison time for unreasonable amounts of time.

This issue of mass incarceration is costing money, and is also pulling resources from

other important areas of development. Lichtenstein (2015) argues that “many states are finding

the opportunity cost from directing more resources to corrections year after year too high,

resulting in significantly less money for other priorities like education or infrastructure” (p. 125).

As more people are being incarcerated, there will be an increase in prison populations; therefore,

a demand of increase in prison infrastructure will also emerge. This means that more money will

be put into the development of prisons, which in time will keep housing more inmates. It is a

cycle that keeps inmates incarcerated while other areas that need development, such as

education, healthcare, and infrastructure, are not being considered enough because of the lack of

resources. This is detrimental to society, the taxpayer, and the United States because it is the

leading country in incarceration rates and “the prison population is an ongoing, cumulative

population” (DeLisi, 2015, p. 404). In the years to come, mass incarceration will continue to be

a problem in this country if a solution is not found, primarily because of its cost. Lichtenstein
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 11

(2015) claims that in this “era of austerity and slipping levels of accumulation...mass

incarceration is probably marker in red, as its fiscal costs approach unsustainability, draining

states’ general funds” (p. 125). As mentioned before, there cannot be further emphasis on how

great of an issue this is because of the redundancy that follows. Mass incarceration requires high

costs from state funds which are then depleted at most.

Mass incarceration has become such a phenomenon that it is even considered to be a

concept that now requires strict scrutiny. It has brought about many problems that criminologists,

historians, and professionals have correlated this phenomenon to the destruction in communities

we see. Mass incarceration has been linked to the rise of crime and the implementation of crisis it

has placed on urban areas, it has also been linked with the decrease in strength for organized

labor, it has led to poverty and homelessness to be criminalized, the War on Drugs was born,

policy for immigration, and increases of racial inequality (Lichtenstein, 2015, p. 114). These are

just some of the problematic factors that were brought about by the concept of mass

incarceration. Furthermore, it is important to understand the effect of such an issue. As a result of

this problem there are complications that were not seen decades or even a century ago. Poverty,

or homelessness can now be considered as criminalized in various states. For example, people

cannot solicit in an area or else they will get prosecuted. People also cannot be in specific areas

at specific amounts of time, or at certain times or else they will get prosecuted. It is also worse if

the person is of color because there is a stigma that criminalizes them as drug users, criminals,

homeless, and solicitors. This is a stigma that has ensued from the high rates of incarceration of

people of color. Also, if and when people of color are released back into the community to

reintegrate themselves as functioning, responsible, and legit members of society, they still have
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 12

to deal with homelessness that is already waiting for them when they go back to their

communities. As for the support of their families, there is little support or no support at all which

then encourages ex-inmates to commit crime in order to make use of their time. Also, most of

these criminals are repeat offenders which means crime is all they know.

As mass incarceration continues to increase, so will the disadvantages that people of

color have to go through. People of color already experience larger percentages of poverty,

incarceration, unemployment and so on. Patterson and Wildeman (2015) states that “massive

increases in the American imprisonment rate since the mid-1970s have dramatically altered the

life-course of black men and men with little education” (p. 325). Life course is a theory that

states a person’s life course is determined by their choices, environment, societal factors, and

basically everything they do. Especially, people of color are the group, or community that have

been affected the most. A surge of inequality, criminalization, stigmatization, and so on have

been placed on minorities. After a person of color is released from prison and they attempt to

look for unemployment, it is far more difficult because of the already situated disadvantages that

they have to face. For example, living in an era of stigma, prejudice, racism, and inequality only

adds to the low chances of gaining employment, after the fact they have been released from

prison. It is as if inmates of color are released from imprisonment, only to be imprisoned by the

chains of society. Also, for people of color, it is difficult when you have a family which offers no

kind of support because then the previously incarcerated individual is pushed away.

Patterson et al. (2015) explains to us what it means when a previously incarcerated

individual returns to his family:

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Individuals who experience imprisonment at some point spend so much time

either in prison or being marked as an ex-prisoner, the consequences of mass

imprisonment for family inequality may be far greater than previously thought, as

these families must bear the burden of having an imprisoned or ever-imprisoned

family member for the vast majority of that individual’s working years. (p. 335).

It is extremely difficult for individuals, most importantly those of color, to reintegrate

back into society, but their families as well. If a previously incarcerated individual is not able to

work after life in prison, then they are rejected even further. These are small but important sub-

factors that emerge from a large problem like mass incarceration. As mentioned before,

imprisonment is also a decision that affects the life course of a person of color, and it is even a

greater problem when it is accompanied by other issues implicating them. Coates (2015) claims

that “black criminality would become one of the most commonly cited and longest-lasting

justifications for black inequality and mortality in the modern urban world” (p. 70). The most

incarcerated people are black people, which in time leads to more disadvantage placed onto

them. In the United States “black men are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white

men and Hispanic men are 2.4 times more likely” (The Sentencing Project, 2015, p. 5). As

aforementioned, it is the stigma that people of color are the ones with the higher chances to be

incarcerated. There is evidence that shows white men are less likely to be imprisoned by

substantially large rates. This is an epidemic that not only leads to the criminalization of

minorities, but also a kind of social disorganization amongst society and communities. This

problem of mass incarceration destroys communities which then disorganizes them socially.
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The Social Disorganization theory, which suggests that communities and individuals who

remain on a lack of social consensus can usually mean the result of crime. This is what the

theory claims and this is what can be seen as criminals are being incarcerated. Societies can be

seen as being socially destroyed as they are having inmates attempting to reintegrate back into

society. Most importantly, communities of color because of the already existent lack of social

consensus, the violence already in place, and the poor quality of living in this poverty stricken

neighborhoods.

Research Method

The study was conducted by using already studied theories, researching examples,

and analyzing what other authors were trying to say about the implications that the large-scale

incarceration of minorities, offenders of minor violations, and inmates who are serving out

sentences. As the research was done, it was then applied to the statements as supportive evidence

to further strengthen the claims. Also, there was review of the literature in order to further

understand theories, and claims done by other authors who have done research similar to what

this study is about. The data used in the research was percentages, and estimates of incarcerated

people, and also people of color to be more specific in certain areas of this research paper.

Furthermore, the data was used to explain the large and substantial numbers of incarcerated

people in the United States. Since this research was conducted on the mass incarceration of

criminals, it is only fair and reasonable to have used numbers to explain such a phenomenon.

When claims were made in the research, theories and terms were also used to further explain and

make the reader understand the point that was being made. For example, the Revolving Door
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 15

theory which claims that prisoners who are released without any further knowledge of how to

reintegrate back into society as functioning members of society will commit crime; hence,

keeping the door revolving as they are incarcerated once again. The Social Disorganization

theory, which claims crime is increased because of a lack of social consensus amongst

communities, was also used in order to explain the rise in crime in communities where offenders

are attempting to reintegrate. Lastly, the Life Course theory, which suggest that a person’s course

in life is determined by all the actions they do, choices, surrounding environments, and factors.

Literature Review

The literature used to further support claims that were made in this research were

essential for the process of making them reach across. The studies by other authors were also

crucial to the research because they provide insight that an ordinary person would not realize in

everyday life. In fact, the literature used gave further explanations in areas where points were not

clear enough because there needed to be supporting evidence. Each article helps establish

knowledge what this study is claiming; for example, the implications that mass incarceration has

on society as a whole. Also, the statistics that were applied into this study helped give a larger

aspect, idea and even view on how exactly mass incarceration is damaging.

Findings and Conclusions

The study conducted helped find that mass incarceration, in fact, is damaging to the

taxpayer, communities of color, and society as a whole. As inmates are released back into the

community to act as functioning members of society, they will continue to damage those

environments by committing crimes once again. The reason this happens is because they are

released without any prior knowledge of where to go, or what to do. They are lost and sometimes
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 16

even fall into poverty, or homelessness. Other factors that contribute to their re-offending is the

lack of social, family, and self-support. This is mainly because families do not want to take over

the responsibility of taking care of a criminal, jobs do not want to hire ex-criminals, and some of

these individuals are released with a mental illness. The taxpayer also contributes by wasting

their money on the incarceration of millions of people whom will be released and then

imprisoned again. This means that the taxpayer’s dollars are being misused, or not used in the

proper way. Finally, communities of color are also affected because a stigma of Black and/or

Hispanic criminalization is added onto already existent disadvantages they must live with for the

rest of their lives. Mass incarceration is a problem that is affecting our people, communities, and

country as a whole and there must be something done in order for actual progress to occur.
WHAT IMPACT DOES MASS INCARCERATION HAVE ON SOCIETY? 17

References

Coates, T. (2015). The black family in the age of mass incarceration. Atlantic, 316(3), 60-48.

Crutchfield, R. D., & Weeks, G. A. (2015). The effects of mass incarceration on communities of

color. Issues In Science & Technology, 32(1), 46-51.

DeLisi, M. (2015). Mass incarceration is the style, mass offending is the substance. Journal Of

Criminal Justice, 43(5), 404-405. doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.08.002

Hockensmith, C. (2013). The revolving door of minimum-custody administration. Corrections

Today, 75(3), 16-17.

Lichtenstein, A. (2015). Flocatex and the fiscal limits of mass incarceration: toward a new

political economy of the postwar carceral state. Journal Of American History, 102(1),

113-125. doi:10.1093/jahist/jav308

Patterson, E. J., & Wildeman, C. (2015). Mass imprisonment and the life course revisited:

cumulative years spent imprisoned and marked for working-age black and white men.

Social Research, 53, 325-337. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2015.06.011

Petersilia, J. (2000). When prisoners return to the community: political, economic, and social

consequences. National Institute of Justice, 9, 1-8.

Schwartz, J. (2015). After incarceration and adult learning: a collaborative inquiry and writing

project. Adult Learning, 26(2), 51-58. doi:10.1177/1045159515573022