The Mississippi model: Dangers of prison reform in the context of fiscal austerity
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14624745211006176 |
| Published date | 01 October 2022 |
| Date | 01 October 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The Mississippi model:
Dangers of prison reform
in the context of fiscal
austerity
Sarah D Cate
Saint Louis University, USA
Abstract
Over the past decade, the political landscape in the realm of criminal justice policy has
shifted towards broad support for prison reform. Recent calls for defunding as a solu-
tion to the problems of mass incarceration are gaining traction from a diverse group of
political actors. The case of prison reform in Mississippi provides important insight on
the effects of a reform model that prioritizes cutting costs. This article examines the
consequences of pursuing penal reforms in the broader context of fiscal austerity. First,
the case of Mississippi shows how local context shapes austerity driven reforms in ways
that make them particularly unsuited to address mass incarceration. The development
of the carceral state in Mississippi created labor and public-sector dependencies on the
correctional system and overcoming these interests will require public investments.
Second, the article shows how austerity driven reforms fail to adequately staff and
support public sector correctional workers which has rendered prisons in Mississippi
even more dangerous and deadly. The Mississippi case indicates that until there are
more significant drops in incarceration rates and robust alternatives to the functions of
the carceral state, reductions in correctional budgets do not signal downsizing, but
rather mass incarceration on the cheap.
Keywords
correctional workers, defund, fiscal austerity, Mississippi, penal Keynesianism, prison
labor, prison reform, private prisons, private probation, violence in prisons
Corresponding author:
Sarah D Cate, Saint Louis University, 3750 Lindell Blvd., McGannon Hall, Room 124, St. Louis, MO 63108,
USA.
Email: sarah.cate@slu.edu
Punishment & Society
!The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/14624745211006176
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2022, Vol. 24(4) 715–741
Introduction
In November 2018, President Donald Trump traveled to Gulfport, Mississippi to
laud the “fantastic job” the state had done in reforming its prison system and to
promote the First Step Act (Mitchell, 2019a). When the President’s son-in-law
Jared Kushner stepped to the stage he remarked the federal legislation was
based on “a lot of what’s been done in a lot of states like Mississippi” (Mitchell,
2019a). The changes made in Mississippi, particularly reform legislation passed in
2014, has earned the state widespread praise and made it a reform model for other
states and the federal government. Yet, the reforms have not changed the punitive
criminal justice consensus that governs the state. In signing the 2014 reforms into
law, Governor Phil Bryant asserted, “I have no tolerance for career criminals or
violent offenders, and this legislation will allow Mississippi the resources to hold
these offenders accountable” (Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017). Instead, Mississippi is
a leader because the state’s criminal justice reforms align with an austerity driven
approach embraced by the federal government and leading nonprofit
organizations.
This article provides a new in-depth case study on the extensive literature
exploring the effects of recent penal reforms (Aviram, 2015; Beckett, 2018; Cate,
2016; Cate and HoSang, 2018; Dagan and Teles, 2016; Garland et al., 2014;
Gottschalk, 2011a, 2011b, 2015; Lynch, 2000; Miller, 2014; Petersilia, 2014;
Phelps, 2011; Phelps and Pager, 2015; Rengifo et al., 2017; Seeds, 2017; Xenakis
and Cheliotis, 2019). The case affirms much of the findings in this literature that
explore the limitations of fiscal austerity driven prison reforms, showing that by
prioritizing “cost cuts,” these reforms can exacerbate dangerous conditions of
prisons, shift correctional control to areas ripe for privatization and are unable
to meaningfully reduce incarceration rates (Aviram, 2015; Beckett, 2018; Cate,
2016; Cate and HoSang, 2018; Gottschalk, 2011b, 2015). Additionally, the reforms
in Mississippi fail to address the major drivers of mass incarceration as Gottschalk
(2015) cautions because they attempt to reduce incarceration rates by targeting
low-level offenders who have not been convicted of serious, sexual, or violent
crimes, termed the “non-non-nons.” While investing in cheaper alternatives, like
community sanctions, for low-level offenders can reduce costs and lead to signif-
icant and positive change for these offenders who may avoid incarceration, these
policies are not up to the task of dismantling the carceral state (Beckett, 2018;
Gottschalk, 2015; Miller, 2014; Phelps, 2011).
In addition to affirming these findings in the existing literature the case of
Mississippi provides two new insights on the political and economic developments
of mass incarceration and its relationship to reform. Drawing from state research
publications, corrections data, newspaper analysis, and prison advocacy organiza-
tion literature, the following case study first explores how local context and
broader austerity measures condition penal reforms and, in the case of
Mississippi, make them particularly unsuited to address mass incarceration. The
investments in the carceral state created labor and public-sector dependencies on
716 Punishment & Society 24(4)
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