Verkkoby creating urban crises and by undercutting gains made by the american working class, mass incarceration had created a greater crime problem. Verkko“mass incarceration” refers to a phenomenon that emerged in the united states fifty years ago: Imprisoning a vastly larger proportion of the population. Verkkoafrican american claims on freedom by redefining crime and imprisoning unprecedented numbers of black men. Verkkoan emerging literature suggests the impact of mass incarceration extends beyond the prison, jail, or detention center to the families of incarcerated. Verkkoafter the 1970s, we must explore the significant changes to the law and the economy that. Rethinking crisis, decline, and transformation in postwar american history. × close log in. Log in with facebook log in with. Verkkobetween 1970 and 2010 more people were incarcerated in the united states than were imprisoned in any other country, and at no other point in its past had the.