Mass Incarceration and Inequality in Higher Ed
Dissecting the Impact of Mass Incarceration
By making laws that restrict the rights of formerly incarcerated individuals, their sense of belonging and value in society is diminished, according to Reuben Jonathan Miller, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and former chaplain at the Cook County Jail.
鈥淸Citizenship] is not just legal status,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about belonging. It鈥檚 about community and being recognized, being a part of a human community. It鈥檚 having a role in that community. Citizenship is a practice鈥攊t鈥檚 something that we do together.鈥�
Most states restore voting rights to individuals after they are released from prison, but citizenship is about much more than voting, Miller said. 鈥淐itizenship is also about belonging to a political community. It鈥檚 about recognition as someone of value who can fully participate in the political economy and culture鈥攁nd what we have is an alternate legal reality for people who have made mistakes.鈥澨�
Miller explained that even after release from prison, full reintegration into society is challenging because there are 44,000 laws across the United States that place restrictions on people with criminal records. 鈥淵our parental rights can be revoked, you may not live in public housing, your job application can be denied, you may be fired or evicted on a whim,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淎nd therefore, your relationships look fundamentally different.鈥�
Miller emphasized that people of color are disproportionately affected by mass incarceration. Black people are twice as likely as white people to get arrested and five times more likely to be incarcerated after arrest, according to Miller.听鈥淢ass incarceration is an American problem,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e overwhelmingly punish racial and ethnic minorities. We overwhelmingly punish our poor.鈥澨�
Miller said that while people are in prison, they are made to feel like they are voiceless and powerless.听鈥淢ore than anything else, it tells them that their voice doesn鈥檛 matter, that they鈥檙e a group that we shouldn鈥檛 care about. It sends a message about their democratic participation being unwanted. It tells me that their voice is unwelcome. There鈥檚 no place for them here.鈥�
The prison system goes beyond mere punishment, inflicting lasting harm on vulnerable people, Miller said. 鈥淚f [mass incarceration] attacks the vulnerable in the ways that I鈥檓 suggesting, it is a form of violence itself,鈥� Miller said.
Mass incarceration is closely tied to many other inequalities, including lack of access to mental health treatment and affordable housing鈥攆ormerly incarcerated individuals are seven times more likely to be homeless, Miller noted.听鈥淢ass incarceration is a series of crises,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a public health crisis. It鈥檚 a housing crisis. It鈥檚 an employment crisis. It鈥檚 a political crisis. It鈥檚 a problem of citizenship. It鈥檚 about how we prey on our most vulnerable among us.鈥�
According to Miller, formerly incarcerated people are more likely to experience homelessness. In many cities, homelessness can lead to legal consequences or arrest鈥攁 policy that perpetuates the cycle of incarceration.听鈥淚t filters into dynamics of everyday life,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗ow do we respond? We respond by criminalizing poverty.鈥�
Adapted from article by听Anna Lauinger '28 and听Amelia Alexopoulos '28
The Gerson Family Lecture was presented with the Lowell Humanities Series and the PULSE Program
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The Reality of Class Divides within Universities
Anthony Jack鈥檚 motivation for writing a book came from more than his experience as a former low-income, first-generation college student鈥攊t was fueled by his frustration with elite universities鈥� lack of awareness. 鈥淚t was almost as if they were finding out they had poor and vulnerable students on their campus for the first time when COVID came and shut the campus down,鈥� Jack said.
Jack shared the inspiration behind his recently published book,听Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price.听He discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic had an especially negative impact on low-income students who were suddenly left without access to campus resources like dorms and dining halls. 鈥淚 wanted to show how COVID exacerbated the very inequalities that universities ignored,鈥� Jack explained.听
While students from more affluent backgrounds were able to take on unpaid internships and further their careers during lockdown, lower-income students were often forced to find work and help support their families, Jack said. 鈥淲hat actually was the most pernicious was just a level of security and safety that money provided, not all equally, because the racialization of money was real.鈥澨�
Jack rebuked the misconception that if first-generation students cannot fit in or handle attending a university, it is not the best choice for them. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the dumbest approaches to this I have ever seen because you cannot cherry-pick so much that everything will be perfect,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淭he job of teachers is to educate, to expand the minds, to push through this road to higher depths.鈥�
Jack also examined the successes and struggles of academically successful students from low-income backgrounds, highlighting the results of the听Boston Globe鈥檚听鈥淭he Valedictorians Project,鈥� which evaluated how听Boston-area valedictorians fared following high school. 鈥淪omething like one in five face housing insecurity after college,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淭hey are asking the wrong question. The question was, 鈥楬ow many were housing and food secure before?鈥� 鈥漊niversities are admitting more diverse student populations, but their policies and decisions鈥攕pecifically those affecting financially vulnerable students鈥攈ave yet to adapt to the needs of this changing student body. You have adopted these expansive programs to recruit lower-income students鈥攚hat have you done to your campus policies to reflect that?鈥澨�
Jack highlighted the behind-the-scenes policies surrounding campus closures and resource allocations that can disproportionately impact disadvantaged students. For example, universities shut down their dorms and dining halls for a week during spring break, leaving many low-income students without access to necessities like housing and food.听鈥淭he ultimate goal of the book is that it鈥檚 a mirror that reflects back our unequal policies that make it harder for our most vulnerable students,鈥� Jack said.听
In concluding his lecture, Jack offered advice for students to achieve future success.听鈥淣ever see asking for help as a sign of weakness,鈥� he said. 鈥淎sking for help shows you are inspired enough and aware enough that you are approaching a boundary of your own understanding.鈥�
Adapted from听听article by听Anna Lauinger '28
Presented with the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success