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 is hyperbole in the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his... The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him plu
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some literary devices in Macbeth, Act V, Scene 1?

Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not... Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh, oh! (5.1.53-55) Hyperbole - Obvious exaggeration  There is also h
Post a Comment
Read more

How can I analyze Moon and Six Pence by Somerset Maugham?

In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of... In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of that society. His decision to e
Post a Comment
Read more