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Political Consequences of the Carceral State

Bibliographic Data

ID3470337
AuthorsVesla M Weaver (0000-0003-4786-6752, University of Virginia, corresponding author), Amy E Lerman (0000-0002-5577-5909, Princeton University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume104
Issue4
Pages817-833
Publication date2010-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Political Science Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-0554 • E-ISSN: 1537-5943
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0003055410000456
OpenAlexW2114006431
LanguageEN
Citations received295
References cited56

Contact with the criminal justice system is greater today than at any time in our history. In this article, we argue that interactions with criminal justice are an important source of political socialization, in which the lessons that are imprinted are antagonistic to democratic participation and inspire negative orientations toward government. To test this argument, we conduct the first systematic empirical exploration of how criminal justice involvement shapes the citizenship and political voice of a growing swath of Americans. We find that custodial involvement carries with it a substantial civic penalty that is not explained by criminal propensity or socioeconomic differences alone. Given that the carceral state has become a routine site of interaction between government and citizens, institutions of criminal justice have emerged as an important force in defining citizen participation and understandings, with potentially dire consequences for democratic ideals

American political science · Argument (complex analysis · Citizenship · Criminal justice · Criminology · Democracy · Economic Justice · Government (linguistics · Political science · Political socialization · Politics · Population · Social science · Socialization · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · State (computer science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law

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Unique citing works295
Citations per year19,67
Citation span2011 - 2026 (16)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedYes
Citation typesNeutral: 292
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