Incarceration Sociology

Since incarceration forcibly removes convicts from society for a certain period of time, its effects are widespread. For instance, the workforce loses a significant portion of its employees and the families of incarcerated individuals are forced to adjust to life without them. Certain groups of people—such as African American men—are disproportionately targeted for imprisonment, causing them to experience the effects of incarceration to a greater degree (Wakefield, 2013, p. 360). Incarceration causes stratification, which is the arranging of people into social groups, by perpetuating the cycle of poverty; this is especially evident in the effects of imprisonment on the workforce and family life.
Incarceration removes criminals from the job market and places them in prison. This deprives them of the opportunity to increase their job skills and gain more experience working (Wakefield, 2013, p. 363). As a result, rather than building their skills and potentially improving their socioeconomic status, these offenders will remain as inexperienced and underqualified for jobs as they were before incarceration. In addition to
Since prisoners are unable to work minimum wage jobs while they are incarcerated, they are no longer able to contribute to their family’s income. Although they do work and make some money in prison, their salary is not substantial enough to provide for their families (Wakefield, 2013, p. 366). In many cases, this means that they may not be able to pay for their children’s education, thus continuing the cycle of poverty. According to research, “[t]hose who are undereducated and ill-prepared for the labor market are more likely to end up in prison” (Wakefield, 2013, p. 363). Following this logic, children of impoverished families with at least one incarcerated parent are at a disadvantage to other children, making them more likely to become incarcerated