Front Matter -- Preface -- Contents -- Summary -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Rising Incarceration Rates -- 3 Policies and Practices Contributing to High Rates of Incarceration -- 4 The Underlying Causes of Rising Incarceration: Crime, Politics, and Social Change -- 5 The Crime Prevention Effects of Incarceration -- 6 The Experience of Imprisonment -- 7 Consequences for Health and Mental Health -- 8 Consequences for Employment and Earnings -- 9 Consequences for Families and Children -- 10 Consequences for Communities -- 11 Wider Consequences for U.S. Society -- 12 The Prison in Society: Values and Principles -- 13 Findings, Conclusions, and Implications -- References -- Appendix A: Supplementary Statement by Ricardo H. Hinojosa -- Appendix B: Data Sources -- Appendix C: Incarceration in the United States:A Research Agenda -- Appendix D: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members.