People in prisons have endured disadvantage and poverty all the way back to childhood.
Prison Policy Initiative updates for April 13, 2022 Exposing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare
New report, Beyond the Count, uses demographic data to show the social disadvantage of people locked up in state prisons [[link removed]] People in prisons have endured disadvantage and poverty all the way back to childhood, our new report shows. [[link removed]]
This morning, we published Beyond the Count, [[link removed]] a report that examines the most recent and comprehensive demographic data about people in state prisons and provides a groundbreaking view of the lives of incarcerated people before they were locked up. The report's findings make clear that solving this country's mass incarceration crisis will require policy changes that begin outside the prison walls and tackle the inequities and disadvantages incarcerated people face early in their lives.
The report analyzes data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' "Survey of Prison Inmates," collected in 2016 and released in late 2020. The data show what many in the criminal justice reform movement already know: that the U.S. criminal justice system today locks up the least powerful people in society. Key takeaways include:
Many, if not most, people in prison grew up struggling financially. 42% of survey respondents said their family received public assistance before they were 18. Respondents also reported uncommonly high levels of homelessness, foster care, and living in public housing before the age of 18.
Most individuals in state prisons report that their first arrest happened when they were children. 38 percent of the people BJS surveyed reported a first arrest before age 16, and 68% reported a first arrest before age 19. The average survey respondent had been arrested over 9 times in their life. The typical person in state prison is 39 years old and has a 10th grade education, a fact that is most likely linked to youth confinement, which disrupts a young person's life and schooling. Half (49%) of people in state prisons meet the criteria for substance use disorder (SUD), and 65% were using an illicit substance in the immediate lead-up to their incarceration, suggesting that many people who are not locked up for drug offenses are still victims of our country's choice to criminalize substance use rather than treat it as a health issue.
The Prison Policy Initiative's report includes more than 20 detailed data tables that allow readers to better understand the people who are in state prisons and the challenges they have faced in their lives. Beyond the Count also includes a section diving into the data on the race, age, gender identity, and sexual orientation of people in state prisons, explaining that a disproportionate number of incarcerated people are racial minorities, very young or very old, or LGBTQ. Many of the key demographic findings in Beyond the Count (such as incarcerated people's age at first arrest) are also broken down by race or gender.
While the data in this report is about people in state prisons, it does not allow statistics to be broken out for individual states.
"What the data in our new report show is that this country is locking up the same people it has failed by not investing in things like good healthcare, housing, and education for all," said report author Leah Wang. "What's worse, the data show that most disadvantaged people's encounters with the justice system begin during childhood, when they are arrested rather than given the care and attention they need as young people."
The full report is available at [link removed]. [[link removed]]
Truth makes change [[link removed]]
We’re using data analysis to provide a deeper understanding of how mass incarceration has been used to warehouse people with marginalized identities and unmet needs. This type of data analysis takes a lot of resources — can you support our work today? [[link removed]]
Other news: Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among formerly incarcerated people [[link removed]]
The challenges incarcerated people face continue, even after they are released.
In this 2018 report [[link removed]], we provide the first ever estimate of homelessness among formerly incarcerated people.
Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people [[link removed]]
Formerly incarcerated people are unemployed at a rate of over 27% — higher than the total U.S. unemployment rate during any historical period, including the Great Depression.
In this 2018 report [[link removed]], we look at the challenges formerly incarcerated people face finding a job and provide actionable steps lawmakers can take to help.
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Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!
Our other newsletters Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]]) Criminal justice research library ( archives [[link removed]])
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