Criticisms of American mass incarceration have generally focused on urban areas, and especially large, racially segregated cities. But rural Americans are now more likely to be incarcerated than urban Americans. This rise in rural incarceration rates creates a puzzle for race-focused explanations of American mass incarceration.

Drawing on political science research, Professor Gregory Brazeal proposes an explanation for the ongoing rise of rural mass incarceration: That rural incarceration rates are likely higher than urban incarceration rates today primarily because rural Americans have more punitive attitudes toward crime.

The author proposes this explanation not to ignore the central role of race in the politics that created American mass incarceration, but to suggest that confronting racial injustices in the criminal legal system, while necessary, may not be sufficient to end mass incarceration.

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This event is part of the Deason Center's CJR Workshop series, which highlights recent criminal justice scholarship. Speakers present and workshop timely scholarship to a small group of academics, practitioners, and stakeholders to solicit feedback and constructive critique about their ongoing work.