LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF INCARCERATION: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 2.1 million adults are incarcerated in local jails, state prisons, and federal prisons.1 The incarceration rate in the United States – 670 people per 100,000 population1 – is substantially higher than other industrialized nations, including oppressive regimes.2 For example, the incarceration rate in the United States is 6 times that of China and nearly 70% higher than that of Russia.2 In the U.S., minority populations, particularly African Americans, are disproportionately incarcerated. African Americans and Hispanics comprise about one-third of the general population,3 but comprise approximately two-thirds of persons incarcerated in correctional facilities.4 The rate of imprisonment is more than 6 times higher for African American males than non-Hispanic White males.4 Similar racial/ethnic disparities, albeit smaller in magnitude, are seen in women.4 Many studies have examined incarceration as an outcome variable (i.e., who becomes incarcerated). Far fewer studies have examined the consequences of incarceration on life-course achievements. We propose to address criminal justice reform – a key mission of the Koch Foundation – by studying the long-term consequences of incarceration for educational attainment, residential independence, gainful activity, desistance from criminal activity, mental health, abstaining from substance abuse, interpersonal functioning, parenting responsibility, weapons-related injury, and mortality.