The Golden Key: How State-Local Financial Incentives to Lock Up Kentuckians Are Perpetuating Mass Incarceration

Excerpt: “Incarceration is harmful to individuals, families and communities, yet Kentucky incarcerates 40% more people per capita than the United States average, which is more than 5 times larger than other wealthy countries.1 Work groups, research studies, special legislative committees and numerous pieces of comprehensive legislation filed over the years have sought to reduce incarceration and its negative impacts. For the most part, however, these efforts have resulted in only minor, short-term changes. Thus, the upward trend of incarceration in Kentucky continues, even as several other states have made meaningful changes that are beginning to reduce mass incarceration.”

Citation: Spalding, A., Thomas, P., & Pugel, D. (2021, October). The Golden Key: How State-Local Financial Incentives to Lock Up Kentuckians Are Perpetuating Mass Incarceration. KY Center for Economic Policy. https://kypolicy.org/the-golden-key-how-state-local-financial-incentives-to-lock-up-kentuckians-are-perpetuating-mass-incarceration/

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