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The Growth, Scope, and Spatial Distribution of People With Felony Records in the United States, 1948–2010

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah K. S. Shannon

    (University of Georgia)

  • Christopher Uggen

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Jason Schnittker

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Melissa Thompson

    (Portland State University)

  • Sara Wakefield

    (Rutgers University)

  • Michael Massoglia

    (University of Wisconsin)

Abstract

The steep rise in U.S. criminal punishment in recent decades has spurred scholarship on the collateral consequences of imprisonment for individuals, families, and communities. Several excellent studies have estimated the number of people who have been incarcerated and the collateral consequences they face, but far less is known about the size and scope of the total U.S. population with felony convictions beyond prison walls, including those who serve their sentences on probation or in jail. This article develops state-level estimates based on demographic life tables and extends previous national estimates of the number of people with felony convictions to 2010. We estimate that 3 % of the total U.S. adult population and 15 % of the African American adult male population has ever been to prison; people with felony convictions account for 8 % of all adults and 33 % of the African American adult male population. We discuss the far-reaching consequences of the spatial concentration and immense growth of these groups since 1980.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah K. S. Shannon & Christopher Uggen & Jason Schnittker & Melissa Thompson & Sara Wakefield & Michael Massoglia, 2017. "The Growth, Scope, and Spatial Distribution of People With Felony Records in the United States, 1948–2010," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1795-1818, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:54:y:2017:i:5:d:10.1007_s13524-017-0611-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-017-0611-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Timothy L. O'Brien, 2020. "Arresting Confidence: Mass Incarceration and Black–White Differences in Perceptions of Legal Authorities," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1905-1919, September.
    6. Schnittker, Jason & Larimore, Savannah H. & Lee, Hedwig, 2020. "Neither mad nor bad? The classification of antisocial personality disorder among formerly incarcerated adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    7. DeJante EATON & Jack PHAN, 2023. "Examining Bias-Sentencing and Recidivism of Minorities in South Texas: A Case Study Data Analysis," RAIS Journal for Social Sciences, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, vol. 7(1), pages 21-28, June.
    8. Agan, Amanda & Garin, Andrew & Koustas, Dmitri & Mas, Alexandre & Yang, Crystal S., 2023. "Labor Market Impacts of Reducing Felony Convictions," IZA Discussion Papers 16528, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Mooney, Alyssa C. & Neilands, Torsten B. & Giannella, Eric & Morris, Meghan D. & Tulsky, Jacqueline & Glymour, M. Maria, 2019. "Effects of a voter initiative on disparities in punishment severity for drug offenses across California counties," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 9-19.
    10. Berg, Mark T. & Rogers, Ethan M. & Riley, Kendall & Lei, Man-Kit & Simons, Ronald L., 2022. "Incarceration exposure and epigenetic aging in neighborhood context," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    11. Katharine G. Abraham & Melissa S. Kearney, 2020. "Explaining the Decline in the US Employment-to-Population Ratio: A Review of the Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(3), pages 585-643, September.
    12. Robynn Cox & Jamein P. Cunningham, 2021. "Financing The War On Drugs: The Impact Of Law Enforcement Grants On Racial Disparities In Drug Arrests," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(1), pages 191-224, January.
    13. Osborne Jackson, 2019. "Punishment and Crime: The Impact of Felony Conviction on Criminal Activity," Working Papers 20-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    14. Peter Hepburn & Issa Kohler-Hausmann & Angela Zorro Medina, 2019. "Cumulative Risks of Multiple Criminal Justice Outcomes in New York City," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(3), pages 1161-1171, June.
    15. Sebastian Daza & Alberto Palloni & Jerrett Jones, 2020. "The Consequences of Incarceration for Mortality in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 577-598, April.
    16. Osborne Jackson & Riley Sullivan, 2020. "The Impact of Felony Larceny Thresholds on Crime in New England," New England Public Policy Center Research Report 87612, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    17. Bradley D. Custer & Hope O. Akaeze, 2021. "A Typology of State Financial Aid Grant Programs Using Latent Class Analysis," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(2), pages 175-205, March.

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