The past, present, and future of mass incarceration in the United States

Abstract

The United States is the world’s warden, incarcerating a larger proportion of its people than any other country. Since the 1970s, the U.S. inmate population has increased by more than sixfold (Manza and Uggen, 2006: 95). A staggering 7 million people–or approximately 1 in every 31 adults—are either incarcerated, on parole