An Imperfect Storm: Identifying the Root Causes of COVID-19 Outbreaks in the World’s Largest Corrections Systems

Abstract

FOLLOWING article, I summarize the available research on the impact of the increased use of incarceration on crime rates and identify the effects of incarceration on individual offenders (specific deterrence, rehabilitation effects) and on communities, cities, states, regions, and nations (incapacitation, general deterrence effects). The crime reduction effects of incarceration-focused strategies are then compared to other criminal justice-focused strategies (more policing or more correctional treatment) and to a range of non-criminal justice-focused strategies, such as community-level improvements in poverty, education, treatment services, and health care. Based on this review of the available research evidence, I then examine policy implications regarding more effective uses of both criminal justice-focused and non-criminal justice-focused strategies and consider the prospects for future crime control policies that result in improved individual and community-level outcomes.