Who really pays the real costs of maintaining contact with loved ones in prisons? US families shoulder nearly $350 billion dollars in annual costs tied to incarceration, spending an average of $4,200 annually per incarcerated relative. From “We Can’t Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax,” a report from Fwd.us, these estimates include both direct expenses and long-term losses in household income.
These expenses include phone and email communication, travel for visits, child care and commissary purchases, such as food, hygiene products and clothing, some of which are marked up as much as 600% above retail prices, according to the report.
The burden is especially pronounced for Black families, who reported significantly higher expenses, according to the report. Black families reported spending an average of $8,005 per year supporting incarcerated loved ones, representing almost 2.5 times more than white families with an average of $3,251.
One in 5 family members reported being forced to move due to a loved one’s incarceration, including 1 in 3 children of incarcerated parents, according to the report. Overall, 9% of family members said they experienced a period of homelessness, a figure that rose to 18% among those who had an incarcerated parent.
Low wages for incarcerated people, often just cents per hour, only deepen this strain, leaving families to fill in the financial gaps, according to the report. Meanwhile, extended prison lockdowns, staff shortages and overcrowded conditions have further limited access to basic services, including phone calls, visitation, medical care and rehabilitative programming.
Researchers also identified long-term economic consequences after incarceration. Collectively, formerly incarcerated individuals lose an estimated $111 billion in wages each year due to limited job opportunities, according to the report. The report also found long-term financial consequences for children of incarcerated parents, who collectively lose $215 billion in annual earnings, an average of nearly $4,500 per adult child each year.
Researchers projected that if incarceration rates remain steady, families could face $3.5 trillion in cumulative financial losses over the next decade.
You can read the full report, “We Can’t Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax” at the Fwd.us Education Fund website. FWD.us Education Fund is a non-profit organization that believes America’s families, communities, and economy thrive when more individuals are able to achieve their full potential.
