The last 40 plus years has seen a growth in the prison industry that has never been seen anywhere else. In 1972 there were two hundred thousand people incarcerated. Fast forward to present day there are almost two and a half million people behind bars. That’s a one and a half million increase from 1972. The majority of the people imprisoned are African American (forty percent.) What is even more shocking is that this increase in jail population was not caused by an increase in crime, but by an increased rate of sentencing and in increase in lengths of stay.
What effects does the mass incarceration of African Americans have on the communities in which they live? What about the families of the imprisoned? Many children are effected negatively by having parents in jail. Twenty percent of black children have a father in jail. Studies show that growing up with a parent in jail causes A higher risk of the child having a record of juvenile delinquency. Studies have also shown that having an incarcerated parent makes a child two and a half times more likely to develop a serious mental disorder.
Children are not the only members of the family that suffer from having a family member in jail, Spouses also must deal with the negative effects. The high rate of prison incarnation has caused a spike in the number of female headed households. 66 percent of the ever-married prison population recurrently divorced, compared to a rate of 17 percent for adults who are not in prison. Having a parent in prison has adverse effects on family, children as well as adults suffer.
Fathers often have a hard time being involved in their children’s lives while in prison. Due to limited contact, they miss key events in the child’s life, games, graduations, and everyday interaction.
Families suffer financially as well. The loss of the additional income is detrimental to the family. When combined with the added prion fees, visits, mail, commissary, etc. This can cause families to move and uproot the family and cause another transition in addition the transition of having a parent behind bars. Moving the schools of the children and the actual process of moving adds a lot of stress.
The incarceration of the father figure also has negative effects on the extended family. The mother would have to rely heavily on extended family for moral support, babysitting, money and housing. As far as the community its self is concerned, going to prison further deteriorates these already weak employment rates. Upon returning from being imprinoed both men and women find it hard to find work. Many places do not hire people with criminal records. This leaves a permeant effect on ones earning potential. Thus, forcing ex-prisoners into bad jobs with little pay and little chances of moving up the latter.
People with felonies are also unbale to vote. These people who are mainly do not have a voice or say in who will become our next commander and chief. black This can change the way that states tend to vote. I.E Georgia is a red state however if all the convicted felons could vote Georgia would be a red state.
As the incarceration rate grows so does the unemployment rate for blacks. Which in turn causes hardships for the families of the incarcerated. Children may be uprooted from schools and family systems disrupted.
