An Analysis of the Impact of Mass Incarceration on Minority Voter Participation
Poster Number
016
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Faculty Mentor
Hye-Sung Kim, Ph.D.
Abstract
Is the path from incarceration to partaking in the franchise considerably challenging for people of color? The American prison system has grown to become an elaborate and privatized system, strengthening the highly criticized institution of mass incarceration. The ramifications of actions such as President Reagan’s “war on crime” or President Clinton’s 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act only catalyzed the rate at which individuals faced incarceration for longer periods of time for a wider array of crimes. This paper examines an unintended negative consequence of the mass incarceration on former convicted felons: preventing them from exercising their rights and responsibilities as engaged citizens, particularly voter participation, by focusing on the disproportionate impacts for different racial groups. Using the state-level aggregate data on mass incarceration rates, racial and ethnic indicators, and turnout rates by various racial groups, this study tests the heterogeneous effects of mass incarceration rates on voter turnouts by different racial groups among former convicted felons. The main hypothesis to be tested is whether mass incarceration in the United States decreases the percentage of racial minority voter participation in comparison to that of the racial majority.
Course Assignment
PLSC 350 – Kim
Start Date
20-4-2018 12:00 PM
End Date
20-4-2018 2:00 PM
An Analysis of the Impact of Mass Incarceration on Minority Voter Participation
Rutledge
Is the path from incarceration to partaking in the franchise considerably challenging for people of color? The American prison system has grown to become an elaborate and privatized system, strengthening the highly criticized institution of mass incarceration. The ramifications of actions such as President Reagan’s “war on crime” or President Clinton’s 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act only catalyzed the rate at which individuals faced incarceration for longer periods of time for a wider array of crimes. This paper examines an unintended negative consequence of the mass incarceration on former convicted felons: preventing them from exercising their rights and responsibilities as engaged citizens, particularly voter participation, by focusing on the disproportionate impacts for different racial groups. Using the state-level aggregate data on mass incarceration rates, racial and ethnic indicators, and turnout rates by various racial groups, this study tests the heterogeneous effects of mass incarceration rates on voter turnouts by different racial groups among former convicted felons. The main hypothesis to be tested is whether mass incarceration in the United States decreases the percentage of racial minority voter participation in comparison to that of the racial majority.
