University Assignment: Literature Review on Mass Incarceration

This literature review examines the multifaceted impacts of mass incarceration in the United States, drawing on multiple peer-reviewed articles to analyze its effects on individuals and communities. The review begins by establishing the scale of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on certain demographics, particularly Black residents. It then delves into the health-related consequences, including the spread of diseases like HIV and STIs, and the lack of access to adequate healthcare within the prison system. The review also explores the social and economic effects on communities, including the division and disruption of families and the role of money in the incarceration process. Ultimately, the review highlights the complex and far-reaching consequences of mass incarceration, underscoring the need for a comprehensive understanding of its impact on public health and social justice.

Running head: MASS INCARCERATION
MASS INCARCERATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Body.................................................................................................................................................3
Summary..........................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Mass incarceration
It have been observed that since the last 30 years, US have been focusing on placing the
radical as well as unprecedented policies for proper acknowledgement and addressing of
different crimes that have been occurring in the country. Prioritizing of harsh and
disproportionate punishment have been another aspect that is to be considered. In place of usage
of the terminology of rehabilitation and prevention process, usage of incarceration is performed.
It have been seen that by the year 2010, 7.25 million Americans have been under the correction
control. The correctional control places are namely prisons or jails. It have been seen that there
have been a steep rise in the process. In a precise manner, locking up of a vast population in the
local, state and federal prisons for correction process is termed as mass incarceration.
Reason and perspective of literature review
Performing literature review on this topic have been acting important. This section
ensures the fact that with the help of the literature review being performed a better understanding
of the social cause may be made. With the help of literature review, peer reviewed data can be
collected and the data that will be collected will be properly assessed and hence wise this ensures
that entire processing of data that is considered will be highly authentic. The data that are
considered in the section will be correct and hence wise the data analysis that will be made will
be helping the global audience to understand the entire event.
Inquiry question of the review
The enquiry questions that are to be considered in the section are as follows: -

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 What are the health related issues that arises due to the incarceration process?
 What are the effects that are imposed on different communities due to incarceration?
 Is money an important factor for releasing the incarcerated prisoners?
Body
Introduction paragraph
According to Kelley (2019), United States have been home to one of the largest
imprisoned population in the world. It have been seen that in the year 2014, nearly every 1 in a
100 have been incarcerated, which results to a massive number of 2.2 million. It have been
observed that the epicenter of the epidemic of the mass incarceration. There are 5 major states
that have been affected in the processing of the mass incarceration process. They are namely
Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. Another aspect that is to be
considered in the process is that black residents have been facing mass incarceration in a
disproportionate manner. Majority population of blacks have been staying in the South. This
ranges till 55% of the black residents have been staying in South. Another noteworthy aspect that
is to be considered is that the 60% of the total incarcerated people were black. There are certain
aspects that have been increasing the number of people who have been facing this incarceration
issue.
Comparison in first theme between the chosen articles
According to Ojikutu, Srinivasan, Bogart Subramanian and Mayer (2018), HIV have
been one of the major disease have been taking place due to the incarceration process. It have
been seen that the rate in ZIP code. This is one of the major aspect that can be considered in the
processing of increase in the ZIP code level of overall HIV diagnosis. This rate was directly

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proportional to the prison release rate. It was observed that with an increase in 10 persons in the
persons in the prison there was an increase of 4% in 5 years in the HIV diagnosis rate. It have
been found that there have been 9 .4 additional cases that are to be considered out of the 100,000
population. Hence wise it can be stated that there has been a significant number of timely linkage
of the ongoing treatment of the inmates that are already suffering from HIV.
Again according to Nowotny, Omori, McKenna and Kleinman (2020), there are certain
diseases that have been observed. Thus, it can be stated that there have been an increase of
chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV occurrence. These are the major diseases that have been
increasing due to the incarceration. Again the cities of Atlanta and Georgia, it have been found
that due to an increase in the male incarceration, rate of STIs occurrence have been increasing in
a rapid rate. There have been an increase of incarceration rate in between the years of 2011-16.
Unique and historic data have been collected and hence proper analysis have been made in the
process. This is one of the major data set that is to be considered for proper understanding of the
link in between the occurrence of different diseases due to the incarceration process.
As per Wildeman and Wang (2017), there are certain health related issues that arise to the
people who have been to the incarceration process. The main reason behind the process is that
there have been absence of the emergency treatments. This leads to the fact that there is a risk of
occurring of mental diseases. Cause of racial disparity have been another aspect that occurs in a
daily basis.
After performing proper analysis, it can be stated that the way of data collection of
different journals have been unique and have been different from each other. The focus of all the
peer reviewed articles have been unique in its process as well. Different peer reviewed journals
have focused on different diseases hence the entire set of diseases that occurs in the incarceration

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camps are properly discussed. This have been one of the major aspect that have been considered
for better analysis of the diversity of the data.
Comparison in second theme between the chosen articles
As per Ojikutu, Srinivasan, Bogart Subramanian and Mayer (2018), it can be seen that
there have been health related issues that have been affecting the community. It have been seen
that despite the fact that there have been one or two members present in the incarceration camp,
the disease that is carried by them have been affecting the entire community. Another aspect that
is considered in this section is that there have been issues regarding the ethnicity and the racial
aspects. There have been dividing of the community. The major health diseases that are expected
in the processes includes the likes of increase of asthma related issues. This is one of the major
aspect that is to be considered. Another aspect that is to be considered in the section is that there
is a presence of sexual issues. This presence of sexual diseases have been affecting the lifestyle
of the current generation as well as the next generation. Psychiatric imbalance is also seen in this
case.
Different journals have been focusing on different aspects, however the issues have been
common. The research process have been different for each case.
Comparison in third theme between the chosen articles
According to Leipold (2019), it have been seen that money plays an important role in
serving the incarceration time. In case money is paid as penalty the duration of the sentence
decreases. This have been reducing the transparency in the operational process. This is one of the
major reason that the operational process of the incarceration camps are not always supported.

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Summary
From the above discussion, it can be seen that the incarceration process have not only
been affecting the individuals but also the entire community. HIV and other diseases have also
been increasing. No proper emergency treatment process is present in the system. Hence it can
be stated that the data that have been collected in the process have been providing a better
understanding of the process of incarceration.

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References
Kelley, S. (2019). MASS INCARCERATION. Human Ecology, 47(1), 15-15.
Leipold, A. D. (2019). Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable. Am. Crim. L. Rev., 56, 1579.
Nowotny, K. M., Omori, M., McKenna, M., & Kleinman, J. (2020). Incarceration Rates and
Incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in US Counties, 2011–2016. American
Journal of Public Health, 110(S1), S130-S136.
Ojikutu, B. O., Srinivasan, S., Bogart, L. M., Subramanian, S. V., & Mayer, K. H. (2018). Mass
incarceration and the impact of prison release on HIV diagnoses in the US South. PloS
one, 13(6), e0198258-e0198258.
Wildeman, C., & Wang, E. A. (2017). Mass incarceration, public health, and widening inequality
in the USA. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1464-1474.