Mat 133 Milestone One
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
133
Subject
Mathematics
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by BrigadierPheasantMaster465
James Sena
Mat 133
What is the financial cost of incarceration?
January 12, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of people are incarcerated every year, for everything from minor
infractions to felonies, depending on a multitude of factors. These factors can include everything
from prior history, the state they are in, the judge and the severity of their crime. While it is very
important to get crime off the streets and make sure that the offenders are punished for what they
did, many people fail to look at one of the main issues that stem from a criminal conviction- the
financial burden. For this reason, I have decided to look at the financial cost of a criminal
conviction and spending time in jail as the topic for my research project. Primarily: What are the
financial burdens of a criminal conviction on the offender? When it comes to criminals who have
been paroled, or have been released from the prison system, there are a number of legal financial
obligations that are required of them, many times as terms of their parole. “
Increased
economic responsibilities result from many stages of the judicial process and
include fines, restitution, supervision fees, and accrued child support.”
(Pleggenkuhle) This means that the offender is responsible for legal fees, paying
money back to their victims, paying for housing (if needed), paying the child
support they were not able to pay while incarcerated, treatment programs,
polygraphs (for sex offenders) etc. Along with these legal obligations, there are
many other financial burdens that effect ex-inmates. Many employers will not
employ people with a prior felony conviction, meaning that it may be incredibly hard
for them to find a job that will support them and their families. If they are looking to
rent a place to live, many landlords and rental companies require background
checks, which can also hinder a convicted felons chances of getting approved.
Having not had a job while incarcerated also leaves them with little to no savings,
meaning that their chances of restarting life on a positive note can be difficult,
especially if they had lost housing, jobs, vehicles and family support while in prison.
For the study I chose, the population being studied is in Missouri. “This research
employed a purposive sample and derived from a population of officially sanctioned
offenders under correctional supervision…The sample was comprised of persons
who had scheduled report days or time in their prison schedule, but who fit our
sample criteria of having experienced a recent release from prison or conviction and
remained under correctional supervision.” (Pleggenkuhle) The sample consisted of
131 individuals who had been convicted of a felony, although the nature of those
felonies varied. The average age of the individuals was 38 years old. Three quarters
of them were on supervised parole. Two thirds of the individuals were white and the
average length of incarceration was 5.5 years. Over half of the individuals had
graduated from high school, although less than 50% of them were employed at the
time of their convictions. The two research questions proposed in the study are as
follows:
Research Question 1:
What is the scope and totality of LFOs for a sample of ex-
offenders in a Midwest state?
Research Question 2:
How do LFOs impact structural, social,
and emotional experiences post-conviction? While they did not give solid hypothesis’ for
their questions, the author did explain the importance of these questions, as they help
address some of the problems expected to arise with this study, which is stated in the
authors words as “
The growing body of literature examining LFOs have important
implications, yet much remains to be learned. Due to the variation in imposition of
LFOs, by state, county, and jurisdiction, large-scale evaluations of imposition and
scope remain difficult. Further, many studies have focused primarily on immediate
and material outcomes of LFOs, many of which look at recidivism and fail to include
other outcomes such as emotive states or relation to identity.”
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References
Pleggenkuhle, B. (2018) The Financial Cost Of A Criminal Conviction.
Criminal
Justice and Behavior.
https://journals-sagepub-
com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0093854817734278