Criminal justice has become a key way that citizens and communities interact with their state. And yet we know strikingly little about its political and civic effects. In this volume, scholars from several disciplines consider the consequences of for democratic life in the United States.

Introduction: Detaining Democracy? Criminal Justice and American Civic Life - Vesla M. Weaver, Jacob S. Hacker, and Christopher WildemanHow the Criminal Justice System Shapes Social Inequality and the Capacity of CitizensThe Degree of Disadvantage: Incarceration and Inequality in Education - Stephanie Ewert, Bryan L. Sykes, and Becky PettitConsequences of Family Member Incarceration: Impacts on Civic Participation and Perceptions of the Legitimacy and Fairness of Government - Hedwig Lee, Lauren C. Porter, and Megan ComfortParental Incarceration, Child Homelessness, and the Invisible Consequences of Mass Imprisonment - Christopher WildemanIncarceration and Social Inequality: Challenges and Directions for Future Research - Kristin TurneyHow the Criminal Justice System Shapes Learning and PerceptionsThe Criminal Justice System and the Racialization of Perceptions - Aliya Saperstein, Andrew Penner, and Jessica M. KizerThe Psychological Dimension and the Social Consequences of Incarceration - Jason SchnittkerMass Imprisonment and Trust in the Law - Christopher Muller and Daniel SchrageHow the Criminal Justice System Educates Citizens - Benjamin Justice and Tracey L. MearesDetention, Democracy, and Inequality in a Divided Society - Glenn C. LouryHow the Criminal Justice System Shapes Political Outcomes and BehaviorsEffects of Imprisonment and Community Supervision on Neighborhood Political Participation in North Carolina - Traci R. BurchStaying Out of Sight? Concentrated Policing and Local Political Action - Amy E. Lerman and Vesla M. WeaverDo Voting Rights Notification Laws Increase Ex-Felon Turnout? - Marc Meredith and Michael MorseClasses, Races, and Marginalized Places: Notes on the Study of Democracy's Demise - Joe SossWhat Might the Future HoldEx-Felons' Organization-Based Political Work for Carceral Reforms - Michael Leo OwensLocked In? Conservative Reform and the Future of Mass Incarceration - David Dagan and Steven M. TelesCivic Lessons: Why Certain Schemes to End Mass Incarceration Will Fail - Eric CadoraClosing Comments on Criminal Justice and American Civic LifeDemocracy and the Carceral State in America - Marie GottschalkCriminal Justice Processing and the Social Matrix of Adversity - Robert J. SampsonIncarceration, Inequality, and Imagining Alternatives - Bruce Western