Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

The American Prosecutor And The Carceral State: An Analysis To Address Prosecutorial Power And Discretion In An Effort To Reduce Overincarceration In The United States, Olivia Jordan

Honors Theses

There is perhaps no other actor within our legal system that shares more power and control over the carceral state than the American prosecutor. This thesis examines the powers of the prosecutor at every stage of criminal procedure, how these powers contribute to the carceral state, and how prioritizing prosecutorial policy reform can effectively reduce persistent mass incarceration in the United States. This thesis uses three criteria- effectiveness at reducing overincarceration, feasibility of implementation, and ethical impact- to critically evaluate several proposals for addressing prosecutorial power and discretion. Ultimately, the thesis recommends a combination of three proposals for a more …

Urbanicity And Female Jail Incarceration Rates In 1970 And 2018: The Rise Of Rural Female Jail Incarceration, Samantha M. Caimi

HON499 projects

This paper examines the role of county urbanicity as it relates to mean female jail incarceration rates in both the United States and Pennsylvania in the years 1970 and 2018. There are three research questions to be answered in this study. The first is whether mean female jail incarceration rates vary significantly by urbanicity (rural, small/mid, suburban, urban). The second is whether the relationship between female jail incarceration rates and urbanicity changed from 1970 to 2018. The third research question is whether the findings for questions 1 and 2 will be the same for both Pennsylvania and the United States. …

Reflective Writing In Prisons: Rehabilitation And The Power Of Stories And Connections, Sandeep Kumar

VA Engage Journal

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Even though the rate of crime is dropping, incarceration rates remain fairly steady. What’s more, recidivism (i.e., re-offending after conviction for other crimes) is also very high in the US. If offenders continue to offend, even after completing their sentences in a correctional system designed to address their underlying criminal activity, what is the point of having such a system? Can the system be made more accountable and better? Have we considered all the options for criminal reform? This article explores these questions using effective rehabilitation principles to …

Reproductive Justice Disrupted: Mass Incarceration As A Driver Of Reproductive Oppression, Crystal M. Hayes, Carolyn B. Sufrin, Jamila B. Perritt

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

We describe how mass incarceration directly undermines the core values of reproductive justice and how this affects incarcerated and nonincarcerated women.

Mass incarceration, by its very nature, compromises and undermines bodily autonomy and the capacity for incarcerated people to make decisions about their reproductive well being and bodies; this is done through institutionalized racism and is disproportionately done to the bodies of women of color. This violates the most basic tenets of reproductive justice—the right to have a child, not to have a child, and to parent the children you have with dignity and in safety.

By undermining motherhood and …

Research Brief On Eti Prison Studies, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute worked with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and state Department of Public Instruction in the 1980s to improve educational programs at state correctional facilities incarcerating juveniles. In the 1990s ETI assisted the Milwaukee County Executive’s Youth Initiative to identify youth populations in need of intervention if future incarceration was to be prevented. From 2007 to 2016 ETI research and technical assistance focused on employment needs of Milwaukee County adult males who had been incarcerated in Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities.

Statewide Imprisonment Of Black Men In Wisconsin, Lois M. Quinn, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

This report provides data on African American male incarceration for the state onf Wisconsin at the request of the NAACP Wisconsin Conference of Branches. For most ex-offenders, prison records remain public and impediments to employment for the rest of their lives. Consequently, unlike studies reporting point-in-time levels of incarceration or average daily inmate populations, this report identified the total populations of African American men who had been incarcerated in adult state correctional facilities from 1990 to 2012 using Wisconsin Department of Corrections public inmate records. State DOC records showed incarceration rates for African American men at epidemic levels throughout Wisconsin. …

Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration Of African American Males, Summary, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

This two-page paper provides a summarizes the Employment and Training Institute research on mass incarceration of African American males in Wisconsin, the state’s ranking as having the highest percentage of black males in state prison and local jails (according to the 2010 U.S. Census data), and costs of incarceration.

Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration Of African American Males: A Powerpoint Summary, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The Employment and Training Institute analysis of Wisconsin Department of Corrections public inmate files showed incarceration rates for African American men at unprecedented levels in Wisconsin. This presentation summarizes ETI research on prison rates in Milwaukee and Wisconsin and offers recommendations for addressing workforce needs of ex-offenders.

Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration Of African American Males: Workforce Challenges For 2013, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

Among the most critical workforce issues facing Wisconsin are governmental policies and practices leading to mass incarceration of African Americans men and suspensions of driving privileges to low-income adults. The prison population in Wisconsin has more than tripled since 1990, fueled by increased government funding for drug enforcement (rather than treatment) and prison construction, three-strike rules, mandatory minimum sentence laws, truth-in-sentencing replacing judicial discretion in setting punishments, concentrated policing in minority communities, and state incarceration for minor probation and supervision violations. Particularly impacted were African American males, with the 2010 U.S. Census showing Wisconsin having the highest black male incarceration …

Ex-Offender Populations In Milwaukee County, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

Released prisoners are among the most difficult labor force populations to serve and least likely to be successfully engaged in sustained employment due to persistent legal problems, low education attainment levels, high recidivism rates, and driver’s license suspension and revocation restrictions. The stigma of being an ex-inmate and the limitations this places on those released and expected to become gainfully employed are compounded further by legal sanctions placed on many adults who have spent time in correctional facilities. A total of 42,046 Milwaukee County working age adults have been in the DOC system, including men and women presently incarcerated in …

Barriers To Employment: Prison Time, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

This paper was prepared at the request of Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County to assess the legal and employment needs of prisoners released from Wisconsin correctional facilities. Released prisoners are among the most difficult populations to serve and least likely to be successfully engaged in sustained employment due to persistent legal problems, low education attainment levels, high recidivism rates, and driver’s license suspension and revocation problems. The stigma of being an ex-inmate alone and the limitations it places on those released and expected to become gainfully employed are compounded by further legal sanctions …

Neighborhood Indicators Of Employment And Economic Family Well-Being For Zipcode 53206: Executive Summary, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The 53206 zipcode neighborhood serves as a bellwether for poverty changes in Milwaukee and nationally. In the 1990s prior to welfare reform in Wisconsin it had the largest number of families receiving AFDC. In the 2000 Census it showed the largest number of families in poverty among Milwaukee zipcodes. The 2007 neighborhood indicator analyses showed substantial movement in a negative direction, particularly in the last 4-5 years as the number of men incarcerated from and released to these neighborhoods has risen dramatically and residents have been targeted by subprime lenders for refinancing mortgages. Assets were identified, including the relatively high …

New Indicators Of Neighborhood Need In Milwaukee Zipcode 53206, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

Milwaukee Neighborhood Indicators Reports were initially developed by the Employment and Training Institute with funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the City of Milwaukee to provide independent, timely and ongoing assessment tools to measure short-term and long-term progress toward improving economic and employment well-being of families in central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Indicators track changes by neighborhood since 1993, prior to the beginning of state and federal welfare reform. The 53206 ZIP code neighborhood serves as a bellwether for poverty changes in Milwaukee and nationally. In the 1990s prior to welfare reform in Wisconsin it had the largest number of …