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by Peter Wagner and Leah Sakala
Ever wonder exactly how many people are locked up in the U.S. and why? Many people, interested citizens and policy wonks alike, find that seemingly simple question to be frustratingly difficult to answer. Until now.
The Prison Policy Initiative has just released its newest briefing, Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, that includes the first graphic we're aware of that aggregates the disparate systems of confinement in this country into one big-picture chart:
As we discuss in our briefing, this broader context pulls back the curtain and reveals answers to questions such as:
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How many people are behind bars for drug offenses?
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Which system holds more people: state prisons, federal prisons, or local jails?
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How many kids are locked up for offenses that most people don't even think of as crimes?
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Where do we even have to look to find everyone who's behind bars for immigration-related issues?
At the end of the day, locking up the more than 2.4 million people represented on this pie chart gives the United States the dubious distinction of being the number one incarcerator in the world. Policymakers and the public both have a pressing responsibility to take a good hard look at each slice of this pie and weigh any potential benefit of keeping those people behind bars against the significant social and fiscal cost.
We are thrilled that Professor Michael Leo Owens has joined our Board of Directors this year. Professor Owens teaches in the Political Science department of Emory University, and specializes in urban, state and local politics, political penology, governance and public policy processes, religion and politics, and African American politics. We asked him a few questions about his work and involvement with PPI:
Why did you decide to join the PPI board?
Michael Leo Owens: As the piece of political science wisdom goes, "People participate when they can, when they want to, or when they're asked." My participation with PPI's board covers all three bases! And I made a deliberate decision to leave another board of directors for PPI's board. The switch is a better fit of interests, passions, and concerns.
What does your work focus on?
MLO:
I'm a scholar of American politics and pubic policy. The politics of punishment and the civic effects of mass incarceration fill a big portion of my research, teaching, and service portfolio. In particular, I'm writing a book, Prisoners of Democracy, about the ways in which punitive public policies and ambivalent public opinion diminish the citizenship of people with felony convictions and undermine the positive reintegration of formerly incarcerated people. Additionally, I serve on the advisory boards of two other organizations that confront the challenges and consequences of "penal harm" – the Georgia Justice Project and Foreverfamily. The former provides defense counsel, social services, and advocacy for indigent persons. The latter, formerly known as Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers, is an Atlanta-based but national youth development organization, one that among other
activities provides children with monthly visitations with their incarcerated parents.
What do you think is most unique about the Prison Policy Initiative and the projects it takes on?
MLO: What makes PPI unique is its moxie. It takes on BIG issues for a small organization and it's successful in tackling them. Plus, by using data in a democratic way it increases the likelihood of community-based groups getting involved and taking the lead on their own behalf. Few data-driven organizations truly empower other groups. I'm glad PPI is one of them.
What's something that you wish more people knew about the Prison Policy Initiative?
MLO: I wish more people knew that PPI is about more than prison gerrymandering. I also wish that more policymakers, especially in the South, knew of its existence and successes at making criminal justice more just and effective.
Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!
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