Political consequences of the carceral state

Citation

Weaver, Vesla M. & Lerman, Amy E. (2010). Political consequences of the carceral state. American Political Science Review. vol. 104 (4) pp. 817-833

Abstract

Contact with the criminal justice system is greater today than at any time in our history. In this article, we argue that interactions with criminal justice are an important source of political socialization, in which the lessons that are imprinted are antagonistic to democratic participation and inspire negative orientations toward government. To test this argument, we conduct the first systematic empirical exploration of how criminal justice involvement shapes the citizenship and political voice of a growing swath of Americans. We find that custodial involvement carries with it a substantial civic penalty that is not explained by criminal propensity or socioeconomic differences alone. Given that the carceral state has become a routine site of interaction between government and citizens, institutions of criminal justice have emerged as an important force in defining citizen participation and understandings, with potentially dire consequences for democratic ideals.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017%2FS0003055410000456

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

American Political Science Review

Author(s)

Weaver, Vesla M.
Lerman, Amy E.

Year Published

2010

Volume Number

104

Issue Number

4

Pages

817-833

DOI

10.1017/S0003055410000456

Reference ID

4693