Prison Proliferation Project

大规模监禁之所以成为可能，是因为监狱的繁荣，自1970年以来，监狱设施的数量增加了两倍。该项目审查监狱激增的原因和后果。它考虑了在哪里以及为什么要建造监狱，监狱如何改变这些地方，以及关闭监狱的影响。监狱所在的社区往往更偏向农村，贫困率更高，某些人口群体所占比例不成比例。这项研究考虑了关闭监狱如何影响这些社区的贫困。该项目编制了一份跨越100多年的综合数据文件，将监狱建设数据与社区联系起来。本研究为刑事司法改革中的关键问题提供数据和见解，以支持决策。本项目有三个研究目标。首先，该研究探讨了1970年至2010年期间历史政权如何影响监狱设施的建设。第二，该项目调查了新建监狱设施所在地的政治经济，包括制造业的存在和贫困率。第三，该研究调查了监狱繁荣和萧条对就业，贫困，经济不平等和健康差异的影响。监狱建设的决定因素进行了测试，使用罕见事件逻辑回归。该项目培训来自STEM中代表性不足的群体的年轻研究人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Mass incarceration has been made possible by the prison boom, a tripling in the number of prison facilities since 1970. This project examines both the causes and consequences of the prison boom. It considers where and why prisons are built, how these places are changed by a prison, and the impact of prison closures. Communities where prisons are built tend to be more rural, have higher rates of poverty, and have disproportionate shares of certain demographic groups. This research considers how closing prisons affects poverty in such communities. The project produces a comprehensive data file spanning over 100 years that links data on prison construction to communities. This research provides data and insights to support decision making on key issues in criminal justice reform.This project has three research aims. First, the study explores how historical regimes affect the building of prison facilities between 1970 and 2010. Second, the project investigates the political economy of places where new prison facilities are built, including the presence of manufacturing and poverty rates. Third, the study investigates the impact of the prison booms and busts on employment, poverty, economic inequality, and health disparities. Determinants of prison building are tested using rare event logistic regression. The project trains young researchers from groups underrepresented in STEM. The findings inform efforts to support rural communities that are affected by the building and closing of prisons.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.