The Relationship of Prisoners, Poverty Measures, and Social Welfare Allocations in Ohio

Abstract Prisoners are counted in the county in which they are incarcerated, according to U. S. Census Bureau guidelines. This policy is increasingly the subject of academic interest because census data are used for redistricting and for the allocation of federal and state funds based on population and poverty criteria. Using canonical correlation analyses, this study found that fewer prisoners, no prisons in a county, higher ruralness, fewer percentages of persons below poverty, and higher percentages of households receiving social security insurance are associated with lower allocations for case management, lower allocations for health and human services, and lower allocations for criminal justice. Taking into account the cross loadings, having a prison, higher ruralness, and fewer percentages of people below the poverty line remain significant. The author discusses the policy implications of these findings.