At 2.12 million, the number of prisoners in the U.S. rivals the number of residents in the U.S.’s fourth-most populated city, Houston. So when you consider that nearly half of all federal prisoners will reenter the system at some point, stuck in a devastating cycle of recidivism, you start to understand the unimaginable magnitude of the issue.
Incarceration comes with lasting effects for individuals and their families. Once a person is convicted, the roadblocks start piling up, including but not limited to obtaining housing, finding employment and accessing federal or state assistance. Higher rates of repeat incarceration puts additional fiscal strains on government agencies, taxpayers and society.