Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Mass Incarceration? You Bet: Crime Control Legislation and the United States Incarcerated Population

Publication Date

2023

College

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of

Department

Political Science, Department of

BURS Faculty Advisor

Nathan Griffith

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

What are the causes of mass incarceration in the United States? Research on the cause of mass incarceration indicates that tough-on-crime policies, the legal system, and recidivism are the leading causes of U.S. mass incarceration. However, variations of definitions of the crime rate have rendered much of this research inconsistent. Therefore, this study examines whether the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a sweeping federal policy, increased the number of arrests across the United States. The execution of this analysis identifies points of improvement for the legal-political sector while also identifying whether the indicated causes have the assumed effect.

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