mass incarceration

is not just a punishment of the law-breaker, but also reduces the human capital of non-offending single mothers and communities, resulting ultimately in children going hungry, attending school sporadically, being disciplined less frequently and sometimes engaging in crime. For these children, the result is attenuated skills and diminished life chances.

incarceration reduces the human capital of non-offending residents. Single parents(usually mothers) in the community become more stressed and burdened, and they havemore difficulty getting and keeping jobs. Children sometimes go hungry, attend schoolsporadically, are disciplined less frequently and sometimes engage in crime. For thesechildren, the result is attenuated skills and diminished life chances (Rose, Clear andRyder 2002, 176).

Dina RoseThinkers

Dina Rose