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Introduction to Mass Incarceration

• Historical Context: Between 1970 and 2010, mass incarceration in the U.S. reached unprecedented levels with over 7.3 million Americans involved in the criminal justice system.

• Statistics: By 2006, one in every thirty-one U.S. residents was under some form of supervision (prison, jail, probation, parole).

• Disparities: The prison population consisted overwhelmingly of people of color, with African American men facing the highest rates of incarceration.

  • Imprisonment for black men: 6.5 times that of white males, 2.5 times that of Hispanic males.

  • For black women: almost double that of Hispanic women, three times that of white women.

Historical Attention

• Lack of Historical Research: Historians have largely overlooked the period of mass incarceration despite its significant societal impact. Previous works focused more on the evolution of crime and punishment in earlier periods.

• Engagement of Other Disciplines: Recent social sciences and journalism have started to explore the effects of mass incarceration on society.

Mass Incarceration as a Lens for Understanding Postwar America

• Impact on Urban Crisis: The rise of carceral state characteristics coincided with the decline of urban centers, leading to poverty crises in cities, which were previously thriving.

• Decline of the Labor Movement: The shift towards mass incarceration directly correlates with changes in labor laws and economic conditions affecting bargaining power and job security.

  • Post-1970 saw labor movements weakened with constraints on worker rights.

Criminalization of Urban Spaces and Law Enforcement Focus

• Historical Parallels: Echoes the post-Civil War era's criminalization of African American spaces.

• Urban Policies: In the wake of the civil rights movement, urban areas, predominantly inhabited by black populations, faced new laws leading to increased policing and criminalization.

• New Drug Legislation: New York's Rockefeller drug laws (1973) marked a shift towards punitive measures targeting substance use, further embedding the carceral state in urban life.

Structural Changes in Society

• Prison Systems: By 1990, those imprisoned for drug offenses made up a significant portion of New York's prison population; these policies spurred similar laws nationally.

• Economic Impacts: Increased poverty due to growing prison populations, reduced job availability, and weakening labor power culminating in a substantial wage penalty for African Americans post-incarceration.

Political Consequences of Mass Incarceration

• Decline of Liberalism: Mass incarceration contributed to the erosion of the political power that had characterized post-World War II liberalism, favoring the rise of conservatism.

  • Legislative changes led to reduced voting rights not only for incarcerated individuals but also distorted representation in political districts (counting prisoners in rural, often Republican areas).

• Significant Statistics: By 2000, African Americans faced considerable disenfranchisement due to laws targeting felons, fundamentally reshaping electoral politics and party control.

Conclusion: Reassessing American History

• Historical Reevaluation: To properly grasp American history in the late 20th century, it is essential to incorporate the effects of mass incarceration into understanding major social, political, and economic transformation.

• Call to Action for Historians: Engage critically with existing narratives showing the role of mass incarceration in shaping the contemporary landscape of American society.