Decarceration to detention: The political economy of mass-incarceration in Louisiana

Abstract

After over half a century of rising incarceration rates, that tide appears to be slowly turning as a decarceration trend moves across the United States. The criminally incarcerated alone may not, however, fully describe the geography of confinement. Expanded detention of immigrants in detention centers and local jails complicates its analysis. We use the case of Louisiana to examine the political economy of the total institution of confinement. We show that the total number and revenue from immigration detention replaces and exceeds that lost from a declining incarcerated population. Additionally, carceral institutions are located in areas experiencing economic decline. We contend that the interrelationship between decarceration and immigrant detention is evidence of a singular political economy, and that the disinvestment and financial pressures localities face may motivate participation in immigration detention. Our findings caution practitioners on the risks of maintaining this false divide in abolition efforts.