Inequality in the Prison Industrial Complex

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and with its astounding numbers it has many implications related to the prison industrial system, notably social and economic, with the discussion of discrimination being an important topic of interest. The number of prison inmates has increased by more than 700 percent over the past three decades (Pager, 2014, p. 757) and due to several factors, including legislation, racial and economic inequality, and the financial benefits of the criminal justice system, it is unlikely that these numbers will slow down anytime in the near future. According to Western and Petit:

America’s prisons and jails have produced a new social group, a group of social outcasts who are joined by the shared experience of incarceration, crime, poverty, racial minority, and low education. As an outcast group, the men and women in our penal institutions have little access to the social mobility available to the mainstream. (Western & Petit, 2014, p. 431)

Economic inequality often plays a part in determination of incarceration, as often penal confinement is linked to individuals belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged communities, and it frequently exists as a pattern that transmits from one generation to the next. The prison boom also saw a significant grow in incarceration among the least educated, again linking to class inequality. Incarceration also influences the economic opportunities presented after individuals have served their time and are released from prison. For instance, Western and Petit states:

Incarceration may reduce economic opportunities in several ways. The conditions of imprisonment may promote habits and behaviors that are poorly suited to the routines of regular work. Time in prison means time out of the labor force, depleting the work experience of the incarcerated compared to their nonincarcerated counterparts. The stigma of a criminal conviction may also repel employers who prefer job applicants with clean records. (Western & Petit, 2014, p. 436)

The study documented by Pager also found that ex-offenders are one-half to one-third as likely to be considered by employers. It found that 17 percent of white males with criminal records and 5 percent of black males with criminal records received callbacks for potential employment. (Pager, 2014) This study did not only find the discrimination against males with criminal records however; it also made important findings on racial discrimination in the United States. In fact, a white applicant with a criminal record was just as likely to receive a callback (17 percent) than a black applicant with no criminal record (14 percent), leading to the conclusion: “Being black in America today is just about the same as having a felony conviction in terms of one’s chances of finding a job.” (Pager, 2014, p. 761)

So not only do the socially and economically disadvantaged face a greater chance of falling into the penal system, but also once they are released they are faced with even greater economic disadvantages. This truth becomes even worse for minorities, whom already lack the same economic opportunities as whites. The criminal justice system has become a part of life in many low-income communities, and continues to ensure social stratification within the labor market.

Works Cited

Pager, D. (2014). Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration. In D. B. Grusky, Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. Boulder: Westview Press.

Western, B., & Petit, B. (2014). Incarceration and Social Inequality. In D. B. Grusky, Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. Boulder: Westview Press.

#criminaljustice #discrimination #inequality #race #sociology