One of the most confounding recent trends in the criminal justice system is the disproportional increase in incarceration in rural areas. The main motivating factors of this trend have yet to be uncovered in their totality. This page seeks to explore the potential driving forces behind this pattern, along with highlighting the rural counties which are fighting this concerning, recent trend.
“Now more than ever, urban and rural communities must come together to solve problems in and across our communities. Bentley and Hower prove we can do it. Join this movement for local action and national unity. We all have a role in shaping the country we wish to live in.“
Philadelphia Inquirer
November 21, 2019
Read More“The scale of the installation, called “Voices from the Heartland: Safety, Justice, and Community in Small and Rural America,” is ambitious and its components intricately detailed. But perhaps most striking is Krimes’s use of artwork and stories from incarcerated people themselves.“
The Marshall Project
September 20, 2019
Read More“The state prison population has been driven to its lowest point in a decade for a few reasons. Officials attributed the drop to declining crime rates in addition to state legislation that helped non-violent inmates leave prison after serving minimum sentences, eased penalties on low-level offenders and expanded alternative punishment options.“
WITF Harrisburg
February 28, 2019
Read More"Last year, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance analyzed the impact of closing any one of three prisons in that corner of the state. It found that if one were to close, not only would 400 or more prison employees be out of work, but more than 100 other jobs, like those at restaurants frequented by staff and visitors, would disappear, sapping tens of millions of dollars from the regional economy."
Philadelphia Inquirer
June 7, 2018
Read More"In fact, Lackawanna County has one of the highest jail incarceration rates in Pennsylvania, higher than any county in the state besides Philadelphia, and higher than any county in New York, New Jersey, or anywhere in New England."
Vera Institute for Justice
June 2018
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