The American incarceration rate, though recently stabilized, increased rapidly over the past
half century. Today, compared with the 1970s, more than five times as many people spend
time in prison annually (National Research Council 2014; Wakefield and Uggen 2010). The
historically unprecedented incarceration rates have wide-ranging consequences for the well-
being of individuals, families, and communities. The confinement associated with
incarceration disrupts employment and, on release, formerly incarcerated individuals face …