Date
2026
Abstract
This Article considers how eliminating meaningful choices inside prisons harms individuals and obstructs reintegration efforts. While any individual restrictions on incarcerated people may seem minor—such as limitations on the food available in the commissary— they accumulate to a point where people adopt passive, compliant behaviors and attitudes that are adaptive inside yet maladaptive outside the prison walls. Thus, we argue that even modest improvements in prisoner autonomy could reduce recidivism and achieve the public safety goals of incarceration.
Recommended Citation
Prescott, Eileen and Theer, Michelle
(2026)
"Prisoners and Choice Democracy,"
Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity: Vol. 14:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/jrge/vol14/iss1/7