Dollars, Sense, and Penal Reform: Social Movements and the Future of the Carceral State

Abstract

Marie Gottschalk Dollars, Sense, and Penal Reform: Social Movements and the Future of the Carceral State NEARLY ON E IN EVERY H U N D R E D ADULTS IN T H E U N IT E D STATES IS IN JAIL or prison today. In a period dom inated by calls to roll back the govern­ m ent in all areas of social and economic policy, we have witnessed its massive expansion in the realm of penal policy since the 1970s. The US incarceration rate is now m ore than 737 per 100,000 people, or 5 to 12 times the rate of W estern European countries and Japan (Harrison and Beck, 2006: 2; International Center for Prison Studies, n.d.). The reach of the US carceral state extends far beyond the 2.3 m illion m en and w om en currently in prison or jail in the United States. On any given day, over 7 million people—or 1 in every 32 adults—are incarcerated or on probation or parole (Glaze and Bonczar, 2006: 1). This rate of state supervision is unparalleled in US history. These overall figures on incarceration belie the enorm ous and disproportionate impact th at this bold and unprecedented social experi­ m ent has had on certain groups in US society. Ifcurrent trends continue, one in three black m en and one in six Hispanic m en are expected to spend some tim e in jail or prison during their lives (Bonczar, 2003: 1). The num ber ofincarcerated African-American m en has grown so rapidly over the past quarter-century that more black m en are behind bars than enrolled in colleges and universities (Butterfield, 2002: A-1…