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RebekahOliva
English123IntermediateComposition
January17,2016

EffectsofMassIncarcerationonPoverty:AnnotatedBibliography
Clear,T.(2009).Incarcerationandcommunities.
CriminalJusticeMatters
,
75
(1),2627.
doi:10.1080/09627250802699749
Thearticlediscussestheimpactofthehighincarcerationratesonthewidespread
crimeandothersocialproblemsinpoorcommunities.Thearticlecitesthat
around700,00familieshaveincarceratedrelatives.Accordingtoresearch,ex
prisonersparticipationinthelabormarketdeclinesovertimeandthathasa
negativeimpactontheirincome.Theauthorstatesthatinhisresearchhe
discoveredthatincarcerationislinkedtoteenagepregnancyandhigherriskof
sexuallytransmitteddiseaseswerehigherinneighborhoodswherehigherparent
agedmaleswereincarcerated.Thissourcewillbehelpfulinprovidingsupportin
howtheincarcerationofindividualsnotonlyeffectsthembutthesurrounding
communityaswell.
Fines,Fees,andCostsDriveFormerlyIncarceratedPeopleDeeperintoPovertyand
BacktoPrison
.(2013,May1).Retrievedfrom
http://nationinside.org/images/pdf/Fees_Fines_Costs_Drive_Formerly_Incarcerat
ed_People_Deeper_into_Poverty_Back_to_Prison.pdf

Inthisarticle,theauthorarguesthatcriminaldebtdrivesformerly
incarceratedpeopledeeperintopoverty.Theauthorbelievesthatatwenty
firstdebtor'sprisonhasbeencreatedandthatthisisafrequentlyoverlooked
consequenceofhavingacriminalrecord.Someofthedebtsmentionedinthe
articlearepreconvictionfees,sentencingfees,andprolefees.Oneofthe
consequencesofnotpayingthesefeesisimprisonment.Theauthorproposes
thatpolicymakersneedtochangethepoliciesinplacethatdriveunfairfees
andcosts.Thisarticlewillbehelpfulinprovidingsupportinastowhythe
formerlyincarceratedstruggletogetoutofpovertynotonlybecauseof
strugglingtofindsubstantialemployment,butalsoduetothedebtthatthey
accruewhileinprison.
Javitze,R.D.,&EBSCOhost.(2009).
MassIncerationandOffenderReentryinthe
UnitedStates
.Hauppauge:NovaSciencePublishers,Incorporated.
Thebookfocusesonthelifeofprisonersaftertheyarereleasedandthe
programsthatarecurrentlytheretoaidthemaftertheyarereleased.The
BureausofJusticeStatisticsreportsthateachyearmorethan65,000offenders
arereleasedinthecommunityandalmost5millionexoffendersareunder
someformofcommunitybasedsupervision.Someexoffenders,however,end
upbackinprison.Theauthorstatesthatmostprisonreentryisduetothefact
thatexoffenderstendtobelesseducatedandmorelikelytohaveahistoryof
mentalillnessorsubstanceabuse.Thismakesittoughforthemtogain
employment.Themostrecentstudyonthiswascompletedin1994and

suggeststhattwothirdsofexoffendersreleasedcomebacktothecriminal
justicesystemwithinthreeyearsoftheirrelease.Theauthorsmainargument
iswhyaretheoffenderreentryprogramsnotworking.Thissourcewillbe
helpfulinprovidinginformationonhowthegovernmentaidsinsupporting
thosethatarereenteringsocietyafterbeingincarceratedbutalsohowthe
governmentisfailingtoprovidetheadequatethatexoffendersneed.
Lobuglio,S.F.,&Piehl,A.M.(2015).
UnwindingMassIncarceration.
IssuesinScience
&Technology,32(1),5661.
ThisjournalarticlediscusseshowtheUnitedStatesshouldreduceitsreliance
onmassincarceration.Theauthorplacesemphasisonreformeffortstosort
outthedangerouscriminalsfromthosewhodonotposerisktothe
community.Theproblemsofreducingmassincarcerationareexplained,in
regardstotheamountofmoneyitwouldtaketohaveprogramsinplace.This
sourcewillbeusefulforinformationaboutnonviolentoffenderswhoare
sufferingeconomicallyduetotroublesfindingemploymentbecauseoftheir
criminalrecord.Also,changingpoliciestomakeitsothatnonviolentcrimes
comewithapunishmentthatfitsthecrime.
Martensen,K.(2012).
ThepricethatUSminoritycommunitiespay:massincarceration
andtheideologiesthatfuelthem
.ContemporaryJusticeReview,15(2),211222.
doi:10.1080/10282580.2012.681165
Inthisjournalarticle,theauthordetailsthenegativelabelthatbrandsthe
formerlyincarceratedoncetheyreentermainstreamsociety.Thesocialstigma

thattheyfaceoftenleadsthemtotheundergroundeconomytosurvive.This
increasesthepossibilityofthembeingarrestedandbackintotheincarceration
system.Theauthoralsodescribestheconsequencesofthenegativestereotype
ofimprisonmentthatplaguesthedisadvantagedcommunities.Thissourcewill
behelpfulinprovidinginformationonthestigmathatfollowstheformally
incarcerationandtheeconomiceffectthatithasontheirlives.
NationalResearchCouncil(U.S.),InTravis,J.,InWestern,B.,&InRedburn,S.(2014).
ThegrowthofincarcerationintheUnitedStates:Exploringcausesand
consequences
.
Thebookdescribeshowtheeffectsofmassincarcerationextendbeyondthose
thatarecurrentlyservingorhaveservedtime.Theauthorstatesthatthehigh
incarcerationratehaseffectsontheUnitedStatessocietyasawhole.The
authorsupportsthisbyshowingtheimpactthatithasonthegovernment
spendingbudget.Asaresult,lessmoneyisavailabletospendoneducation,
healthcare,economicdevelopment,stateandlocalpoliceandotherkey
governmentinterventionsandservicestoaidhistoricallydisadvantaged
groups,andimprovethehealthandwellbeingofthepopulationasawhole
(pg.304).Thegrowthofthemassincarcerationmightbecomingdownon
crimebutataneconomicexpensetosociety.Thisposesaproblembecauseit
isdoingtheoppositeofwhatincarcerationsetsouttodowhichisprovidea
safe,healthy,andprosperoussociety.Thissourcewillbehelpfulfor
informationontheeffectsofincarcerationonthecommunityasawhole.The

mostimportantimpactwouldbeontheeconomicstressesitplaceson
governmentspendingsothereislessmoneytobespendonthingsthatbenefit
society.
Rabuy,B.,&Kopf,D.(2015,July9).
Prisonsofpoverty
.Retrievedfrom
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/income.html
Thearticlestatesreleasingincarceratedpeoplewithoutjobtraining,education
ormoneyistheperfectformulaforrecidivismandreincarceration.Theauthor
arguesthatthisisunfairfortheformerlyincarceratedbecausetheyarebeing
setupforfailure.Theauthorstatesthatthereismuchdataprovidedthat
supportsdifficultiesinfindingemployment,butlessinformationonthelarge
rolepovertyplaysinthelifeoftheformerlyincarcerated.Thearticlecouldbe
usefulinprovidinggraphsandstatsofthelowincomesvshighincome
incarcerationlevels.Thiswillalsobeusefulinprovidinginformationof
incomeplayingalargepartintheincarcerationlevels.
TheRelationshipbetweenPovertyandMassIncarceration
.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://nationinside.org/images/pdf/The_Relationship_between_Poverty_and_Mass
_Incarceration.pdf
Thearticledescribeshowmassincarcerationcontributestopoverty.The
authordescribesthisbyprovidingevidenceofincarcerationcreating
employmentbarriers,reducingearningsanddecreasingeconomicsecurity
throughcriminaldebt,feesandfines,makingaccesstopublicbenefits
difficult,anddisruptingcommunitieswhereformerlyincarceratedpeople

reside.Thearticlecanbeusedtoprovidestatisticsoftheimpactof
incarcerationonpoverty.Italsocouldbeusedtoprovidesupporttomythesis
thattheformerlyincarceratedhavemuchhardertimegettingoutofpoverty
thanbeforetheywereincarcerated.
Western,B.,&Pettit,B.(2010,June1).
Incarceration&socialinequality
.Retrieved
fromhttps://www.amacad.org/content/publications/pubContent.aspx?d=808
Thearticlegoesintodetailoftheunfairtreatmentthatthesociallyand
economicallydisadvantagedreceivewhendealingwiththepenalsystem.The
authordescribesthenegativeeffectsofincarcerationamongmenwithpoor
economicopportunitiesbeforetheyareincarcerated.Theyalsodiscussthe
strongnegativeperceptionemployershaveoftheformerlyincarcerated.The
articlealsodetailstheinstabilityoftheformerlyincarceratedfamilylifeafter
theyarereleased.Theopposingviewofthosethatsupportthecurrentpenal
systemisalsoaddressed.Thesourcecouldbehelpfulinprovidingsupportof
thetroublesthattheformerlyincarceratedhavewhenseekingemployment.
Also,theeffectsthatithasontheirfamilylifewhichtiesinwiththetroubles
ofgettingoutofpoverty.
Wildeman,C.,&Western,B.(2010).
IncarcerationinFragileFamilies.Futureof
Children
,20(2),157177.
Inthisjournalarticle,theauthorsexplaintheeffectsofmassincarcerationon
families,specifically,familiesofpoorminoritymen.Havingaparentgoto
prisonisacommoneventforsomepoorminoritychildrenwhichcan

influencethechildrennegatively.Thisleadschildrentobeingmore
vulnerabletoleadalifeofcrimeandmorebrokenfamilies.Theauthors
suggestthatmorecommitmentsneedtobemade,notjustinpolicyreforms,
butinprovidingbettereducation,publichealth,andemployment
opportunitiesoflowskilledmenandwomen.Bynotjustfocusingonreforms
itwouldimprovethewellbeingoffamiliesandthecommunityasawhole.
Thisjournalreferencewillbeusefulinprovidinginformationontheeffectsof
incarcerationonfamilieswithchildren.Also,itwillbehelpfulingivingme
insightonpossiblesolutionsinimprovingthefamiliesoftheformerly
incarcerated.