Bars and Broken Systems
The Problem of Mass Incarceration
Over five million people in total are under supervision by the criminal legal system.
Mass incarceration results in jail for millions of individuals charged but not convicted of a crime, and lengthy prison sentences for individuals convicted of a crime.
The length of stay in prison has no meaningful impact on the recidivism rate.
A study conducted in Oregon that examined the impact of the length of stay in prison on the recidivism rate found that the length of stay in prison has no meaningful impact on the recidivism rate in almost all cases. The study further highlights that sentences longer than 24 months are not likely warranted for nonviolent offenders.
Lengthy prison sentences might have a counterproductive effect on the rate of recidivism.
The district attorney in Los Angeles has adopted new policies to sharply reduce sentence lengths. This policy is justified by an empirical finding in the field stating that while incarceration prevents crime through incapacitation, each additional sentence year might cause an increase in recidivism which eventually outweighs the incapacitation benefit.
The time is ripe to develop and implement deep
structural reforms that will increase fairness
and ensure proportionate punishment without
sacrificing public safety.
By Sandy Karim