Economics of Incarceration

Below, we’ve curated virtually all of the research about the various economic factors of incarceration.

How much does the criminal justice system cost, and who pays for it? How well-funded are prisons and jails? What are the economic impacts and origins of mass incarceration? Do certain programs in prison affect people’s economic well-being after release? See the reports below to explore these questions and more.

Hope After Harm: An Evaluation of State Victim Compensation Statutes Center for American Progress and Common Justice, September, 2025“The estimated total cost of harm to victims of aggravated assaults in the United States in 2023 was nearly $43 billion. When victims of violence are uninsured or have no other means of paying…states ultimately bear the brunt of these costs.”
Sentenced to Grow Old: How Long-Term Incarceration is Fueling a Prison Aging Crisis in Illinois, Iowa, and Texas Justice Policy Institute, August, 2025“In 2020, it was estimated that people over age 55 comprised about one-eighth of the state prison population [in Texas] but accounted for almost half of the [Texas prison system’s] hospitalization costs.”
10 ways that mass incarceration is an engine of economic injustice Prison Policy Initiative, August, 2025“Rather than alleviate poverty through jobs, housing, education, and healthcare, the U.S. uses criminalization to force people to comply with a deeply unequal economy.”
Paying for One’s Own Incarceration: National Landscape of “Pay-to-Stay” Fees Campaign Zero, June, 2025“48 states allow for the imposition of at least one category of pay-to-stay fees; only the states of California and Illinois have repealed fees for all categories in state correctional facilities.”

You can read the full article at the Prison Policy Initiative.