Mass Imprisonment and Inequality in Health and Family Life

In response to drastic increases and enduring disparities in American imprisonment, researchers have produced an expansive literature on the effects of mass imprisonment on inequality in America. We discuss this literature in three parts. First, we consider the obstacles to estimating the effects of imprisonment on individuals and to using those estimates to calculate the macrolevel impact of incarceration. Second, we review existing literature on the effect of mass imprisonment on inequalities in health and family life. Finally, we close by suggesting directions for future research.