Most Americans do not like mass incarceration: penal sensibility in an era of declining punitiveness

Objectives

This study examines the extent to which “mass incarceration” has support among the American public as the lynchpin of correctional policy.

Methods

Three information experiments embedded in a 2023 nationwide YouGov survey of 1000 Americans tested whether providing facts about the extent and nature of incarceration impacts public opinion.

Results

Few Americans support the imprisonment binge; many are emotionally bothered by it and believe it is immoral, inhumane, and/or racist. The experimental information treatments had little impact on public opinion, which is consistent with the theory that popular discourse, media coverage, and personal and vicarious experiences with incarceration have increased Americans’ awareness of the carceral state.

Conclusions

The findings align with broader evidence that public punitiveness has declined in recent years, ushering in a new penal sensibility. The results suggest the “get tough” movement has lost traction in the United States, partly because of growing knowledge about the carceral state.