The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
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scorched-earth social and economic policies. Such an agenda serves to bolster, not<br />
build down, the carceral state <strong>in</strong> Texas and elsewhere.<br />
Marie Gottschalk is a pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> political science at the University <strong>of</strong> Pennsylvania and<br />
the author <strong>of</strong> Caught: <strong>The</strong> Prison State and the Lockdown <strong>of</strong> American Politics.<br />
________<br />
Scientific American<br />
BEHAVIOR & SOCIETY<br />
Do Prisons Make Us Safer?<br />
New research shows that prisons prevent far less violent crime<br />
than you might th<strong>in</strong>k<br />
by David J. Hard<strong>in</strong>g on June 21, 2019<br />
One person is sentenced to state or federal prison every 90 seconds <strong>in</strong> the United<br />
States, amount<strong>in</strong>g to almost 420,000 per year. <strong>The</strong> U.S. has the highest <strong>in</strong>carceration<br />
rate <strong>in</strong> the world. We <strong>in</strong>carcerate for multiple reasons, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g justice and punishment,<br />
but one <strong>of</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong> justifications is public safety. Putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividuals convicted <strong>of</strong> crimes,<br />
especially violent crimes, <strong>in</strong> prison is thought to make the rest <strong>of</strong> us safer.<br />
But how much safety does all this imprisonment actually buy us? A study I recently<br />
published with colleagues shows the answer is very little, especially <strong>in</strong> the long-term.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are good reasons to th<strong>in</strong>k prisons might prevent crime. <strong>The</strong> experience <strong>of</strong><br />
imprisonment could deter someone from committ<strong>in</strong>g crimes to avoid prison <strong>in</strong> the future.<br />
Prison might provide opportunities for rehabilitation, such as drug and alcohol treatment,<br />
education, or counsel<strong>in</strong>g. And, at the very least, someone who is <strong>in</strong> prison cannot<br />
commit a crime <strong>in</strong> the community, an effect crim<strong>in</strong>ologists call “<strong>in</strong>capacitation.”<br />
Yet there are also good reasons to believe that prisons might actually <strong>in</strong>crease crime.<br />
<strong>The</strong> harsh prison environment could exacerbate mental health problems, make people<br />
more prone to aggression, or make them cynical and distrustful <strong>of</strong> the legal system.<br />
Prisons could isolate prisoners from friends and family who might help them f<strong>in</strong>d jobs<br />
eventually. Or prisoners may learn from other prisoners how to be better crim<strong>in</strong>als.<br />
To exam<strong>in</strong>e how prison affects violent crime, our study compared people sentenced to<br />
prison to those sentenced to probation supervision <strong>in</strong> the community, us<strong>in</strong>g data on all<br />
<strong>in</strong>dividuals sentenced for a felony <strong>in</strong> Michigan between 2003 and 2006. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />
followed through 2015 to track convictions for violent crimes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> study focused on people who had committed a violent crime and were eligible for<br />
both prison or probation sentences. Such people were typically convicted <strong>of</strong> crimes like<br />
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