(C) Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural This story was originally published by Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Debunking Four Myths about the Prison Building Boom Supporting Mass Incarceration [1] [] Date: 2024-06 The United States leads all developed countries in incarceration rates, caging more than 2 million people a year since the mid-1990s. In response to mass incarceration and the prison building boom, criminal legal system reformers and abolitionists across the political spectrum have advocated for change. Although this work has provided a window for new policies to reduce overreliance on prisons, these advocacy efforts haven’t produced lasting reform because they haven’t centered the communities where prisons are most likely to be built—rural communities of color. As a result of the prison boom, which saw a tripling of facilities built between 1970 and 1990, narratives around prisons tend to center the perspectives of northern inner-city communities, rendering rural communities and their perspectives invisible. As a result, reformers and abolitionists overlook evidence-based findings that could provide important context needed to create momentum for change in prison policy. By putting forward a new narrative that centers rural communities of color, we can better inform a debate that tends to settle into two camps: reformers who argue the system can be fixed with little or no harm and abolitionists who believe the system is unsalvageable and should not exist in its current form. Here, we focus on debunking four myths surrounding the prison boom in the hopes of creating a new discussion on how to responsibly close prisons and curb prison demand. Myth #1: Prison towns are tiny, majority-white towns, with high unemployment rates Research demonstrates that prison towns generally have larger populations and higher population densities than rural towns without prisons. Additionally, analysis of the prison boom shows that prisons were more likely to be built in rural towns with larger shares of Black people, Latinx people, and people living in poverty. Research shows towns where Black and Latinx people account for slightly more than 50 percent of the population are more likely to see prisons open. This line of research has also shown that a town’s unemployment rate isn’t a significant predictor of whether a prison will be built. Myth #2: Prison building has been led primarily by Republican policymakers Republican-led state legislatures’ punitive policies increased incarceration rates, but only recently have we come to understand that federal policy leading to increased incarceration results from bipartisan efforts. Emergent research shows that over the course of the prison boom, Democratic-led state legislatures were more likely to build prisons. In short, when it comes to US prisons, both parties share the blame. Confronting this myth allows us to recognize that mass incarceration is a result of efforts from both Republican and Democratic policymakers, cutting across party lines and exposing the roots of prison building. This recognition can also provide a clear-eyed analysis of the role of state political leaders in the prison boom. Myth #3: Prisons don’t benefit the towns that get them Many argue that prison building doesn’t positively affect host communities, but research demonstrates there are initial positive outcomes for towns where prisons are built. Using very conservative estimates, this study shows that between 1969 and 1978, economic decline slowed in towns where prisons were built. These towns witnessed increases in median home values as well as median family incomes, and the town poverty levels were reduced. Additionally, the unemployment rate fell over time after a slight initial increase, perhaps because of the initial jobs brought by the prison going to people from out of town. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, prisons replaced jobs that had been lost in rural communities because of economic hardships. Overall, these towns experienced less-distinct economic declines than towns in similar situations without prisons. During this time, prisons provided a boost to towns that received them compared with towns that did not. And more recent analyses show these trends may continue. These findings also offer strong evidence for prison demand in rural communities of color with higher rates of poverty and residential segregation and those struggling with access to capital and resources. These benefits are part of the appeal of prison building, giving these communities hope for the revitalization of their towns. Without viable alternative industries to take on the role of revitalization of rural communities, findings suggest the demand for prisons will persist. Myth #4: Mass incarceration is an urban problem Generally, people in the US consider mass incarceration an urban problem that predominantly affects people of color, especially Black people, partly because 8 out of 10 Black people know someone who’s been incarcerated. However, recent research demonstrates that some rural communities with fewer economic resources and higher poverty rates have higher rates of incarceration than urban areas. Rural towns also experience disproportionate incarceration rates for people of color in their community, demonstrating the reach of racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system. Curbing demand for prison will require collaboration with rural communities If prison reform and abolition advocates want to responsibly close prisons to curb demand, it’s vital to integrate evidence-based research to make lasting change to criminal legal systems. Central to this research is understanding where prisons are built and how prisons affect these communities. In particular, understanding that prison building is a product of the dire economic consequences facing many rural communities of color would allow us to better understand the benefits and the harms of prison building. To curb demand for prisons, collaborating more with rural communities is the first step. Engaging these communities and discussing their needs can help policymakers and other decisionmakers offer viable alternatives for enhancing the town’s resources and financial stability without prisons. Rural communities have their own priorities and perspectives of what they need to best reach economic stability and safety. By rectifying these myths of prison building, policymakers can pursue greater criminal legal system reform and reduce the fallout on populations who are already disproportionately hurt by the system. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/debunking-four-myths-about-prison-building-boom-supporting-mass-incarceration Published and (C) by Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailyyonder/