Skip to main content

As described in the book Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality, how does mass incarceration in the...

In the book Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality, authors Sara Wakefield of Rutgers University and Christopher Wildeman of Yale University explore the effects of high rates of US incarceration, turning their attention to the children of incarcerated parents.


Using data from surveys of children and caregivers and qualitative interview data, Wakefield and Wildeman show how mass incarceration has disproportionately affected black men and their children. The...

In the book Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality, authors Sara Wakefield of Rutgers University and Christopher Wildeman of Yale University explore the effects of high rates of US incarceration, turning their attention to the children of incarcerated parents.


Using data from surveys of children and caregivers and qualitative interview data, Wakefield and Wildeman show how mass incarceration has disproportionately affected black men and their children. The researchers conclude that incarceration is “exceedingly racially disparate” and “harmful enough to create and maintain social inequality in child well-being.” Children of incarcerated parents were found to have significantly higher rates of infant mortality, health risks, homelessness, and mental health and behavior problems. These outcomes affect black children at far higher rates than white children.


Wakefield and Wildeman conclude that even if imprisonment rates begin to fall, the children coming of age during the “prison boom” represent a lost generation who will continue to feel the effects of paternal imprisonment into the future, saying the “childhood problems of today will become the adult problems of tomorrow.” Current incarceration policies are propagating the cycle that is disproportionately affecting African Americans. The authors communicate a sense of urgency, recommending policy changes to help prevent and possibly undo this damage.


For more information on what can be done to help at-risk children and prevent this cycle of mass incarceration, see information below from the ACLU on what has been termed the school to prison pipeline.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...
Post a Comment
Read more