High incarceration rates may also have detri- mental effects on communities due to factors such as a loss of working-age adults in the community, increased exposure to infectious diseases, and shifting public resources from health and social supports to the penal system.

How does incarceration affect families and communities?

The immediate effects of incarceration and the loss of a parent can include feelings of shame, social stigma, loss of financial support, weakened ties to the parent, poor school performance, increased delinquency, and increased risk of abuse or neglect (Travis, McBride, and Solomon, 2005).

What is the impact of mass incarceration on poor communities?

contributes to poverty by creating employment barriers; reducing earnings and decreasing economic security through criminal debt, fees and fines; making access to public benefits difficult or impossible; and disrupting communities where formerly incarcerated people reside.