Incarceration and Inequality Project
Involvement in the criminal legal system has a profound and persistent impact on the well-being of people and their loved ones, undercutting economic opportunity and trapping families and children in poverty. With almost 2 million people behind bars on any given day, mass incarceration is a primary driver of disparities in wealth and income, yet we do not have the tools to track its impact on communities around the country.
Building on Vera’s existing research and data projects, the Incarceration and Inequality Project team is working to compile and analyze data that illuminates the nexus of inequality and incarceration as a national research and policy priority.
The team’s priorities include conducting research and constructing datasets that describe the connections between incarceration and economic outcomes, developing an online visualization tool that can be used by wide-ranging audiences to elucidate these connections, and designing materials to increase awareness and inform policy responses