8.8.3: Incarceration
Almost 2 million people are incarcerated in all of the state and federal prisons, jails, juvenile detention, and immigration detention centers in the United States (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023). At this point in time, Americans are incarcerated at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world. Since the 1990’s, rates of incarceration have increased exponentially, and only began to decline slightly in the last decade (see Figure 8.14 below). Yet, very little evidence supports the use of incarceration for improved public safety, and in fact, research suggests that incarceration has a substantial impact on the health of those impacted by the justice system, as well as their families and communities ( Incarceration - Healthy People 2030 , n.d.).
Many people are jailed before they have been convicted of a crime due to the bail system. The average amount of bail is $10,000, which many of those arrested cannot afford - and thus they await their day in court in pretrial detention. Additionally, almost 1 in 5 people incarcerated are there because of some violation of their parole - often a technicality (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023). Incarceration disproportionately affects people of color: 38% of the incarcerated population are Black Americans, and 21% are Hispanic - at much higher rates than the demographics of the general population (Wang et al., 2022).
Those living in prison or jail are more likely to be in poorer mental and physical health; including having higher rates of mental illness, substance use disorders, high blood pressure, asthma, cancer, and infectious diseases ( Incarceration - Healthy People 2030 , n.d.). And prisons are not great places to get treatment for mental health, addiction, or physical ailments either. Very few offer treatment programs for addiction, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in prison. Even after release, formerly-incarcerated people often suffer from poor mental health and PTSD, on top of employment and other socioeconomic hurdles (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023).
The families and communities of those incarcerated are severely impacted as well. Nearly 113 million Americans have had an immediate family member spend at least 1 night in jail ( Every Second , n.d.). Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences - including having witnessed violence - and are more likely to live in poverty. Behavioral issues and learning challenges are also common, and these kids are at a higher risk of entering the system themselves ( Incarceration - Healthy People 2030 , n.d.). In fact, many of those incarcerated are victims of violence or abuse themselves - which demonstrates the vicious cycle described by the adage: “hurt people hurt people”. Higher fines and harsher sentences only seem to make this cycle worse and more difficult for impacted communities. High incarceration rates in a community only serve to disrupt social cohesion and decrease trust in government systems.