Incarceration and unwed fathers in Fragile Families

Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Sept, 2007 by Charles E. Lewis, Jr., Irwin Garfinkel, Qin Gao

While not conclusive, there is evidence from this study that previously incarcerated fathers are more disadvantaged than those fathers who never went to prison--they were more likely to grow up without a father in the home, more likely to be from a racial/ethnic minority, and more likely to drop out of high school. Thus, we would expect that they would have earned less even if they had never been incarcerated.

Although controlling for observable differences between the fathers who had been incarcerated and the non-offenders significantly reduced the differences in work and earnings, the remaining differences--even after controlling for variables that may be endogenous to incarceration--are still quite large. Because it is likely that there are unmeasured differences between those who were and those who were not incarcerated, we used instrumental variables analysis to isolate the causal effect of incarceration. The instrumental variables analysis provides additional evidence that incarcerated fathers are seriously harmed by the experience.

For policymakers, there are also costs to society to consider. State governments spend more than $22,000 per year on average to house an inmate and annual state correction costs were $38.2 billion in 2001, an average of $134 per resident, up from $66 in 1996 (Stephan, 2004). These rising costs are competing for escalating demands from other social needs such as education and health care (Jacobson, 2005). Reducing recidivism and it concomitant costs, particularly for non-violent ex-offenders, will be a pressing matter on the agenda of many state legislatures in the days to come.

Prisoner reentry advocates stress the need to address problems while prisoners are incarcerated. More rehabilitation programs, more drug and mental services, and more employment training should be promoted. Jacobson (2005) offers several viable policy ideas that would save states money if they addressed problems early. A bill that has the support of President Bush--The Second Chance Act of 2004--is slowing moving through the congressional process; increased efforts should be made to raise public awareness and support for this bill. Amending mandatory minimum laws, using technology and other monitoring strategies in community-based sanctions, enhancing juvenile delinquency prevention and generally improving inner-city schools can have a profound impact on incarceration rates.

One novel idea would be clemency for released first-time nonviolent offenders. Criminal arrest and conviction records often follow released inmates decades after they have paid their debts to society. Employers routinely deny jobs to individuals with criminal records no matter how minor their offenses. First-time nonviolent offenders who refrain from criminal activities for five years should be able to petition to have their records expunged and full rights restored.

While not conclusive, this study adds to existing evidence that incarceration is strongly associated with poor labor market outcomes. There is an obvious need for more research on incarceration and its implications for society. Much more needs to be done to document the harmful effects incarceration may have on prisoners, their families and communities.