Mass incarceration could be costing the United States over $1 trillion a year

It's commonly said that mass incarceration costs the United States $80 billion a year. That figure is based on how much the country spends solely on prisons themselves (though even this accounting has been called into question). However, new research published in July by professors at Washington University argues that this number is misleading, and doesn't factor in many other costs brought about by mass incarceration, including those paid by the prisoners, their families, children, and the community at large. The actual fiscal cost of mass incarceration, the research claims, is more than $1 trillion.