We Can't Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax

FWD's report, We Can’t Afford It: Mass Incarceration and the Family Tax (covered by NPR here) is the latest in a long line of arguments attempting to capture the financial toll prisons and jails exact on American families. Key findings include:

  • Mass incarceration is costing families nearly $350 billion every year.This includes both out-of-pocket costs that family members pay and depressed wages over a lifetime for both the person who was incarcerated and their children. 
  • Families with incarcerated loved ones spend an average of nearly $4,200 per year for each family member behind bars. That is more than 27% of the income for a person living at the federal poverty line. These expenses include everything from paying to stay in touch with and visit family members to caring for minor children of incarcerated parents to paying for commissary items marked up as much as 600% above retail cost.
  • Black family members pay 2.5x more than white family members ($8,005 vs. $3,251) annually to support incarcerated loved ones, reflecting both disproportionate incarceration rates and deeper financial commitments to staying in touch and supporting family members behind bars.

If you can spare a few minutes, watch this video, featuring family members with incarcerated loved ones reminding us of the sacrifices and investment families make everyday. I’m sure you’ve heard similar stories from your members. And if you’re interested in lifting this research on social media, please feel free to use this toolkit. 

 

New Data: Immigration policies will add $2,150 to annual household costs

Last week we released, “Prices for All Americans Are Set to Unnecessarily Rise Under Announced Immigration Policies Impacting the U.S. Labor Force.” Our analysis shows that policies already underway and under consideration would add $2,150 to the typical household’s annual expenses by 2028. 

The study looks at three immigration policy changes announced by the current administration: ending work authorizations for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, deporting millions of long-time residents, and restricting legal immigration pathways. Together, these measures would shrink the labor force—especially in health care, food production, agriculture, and construction—tightening labor supplies, pushing prices higher, and slowing economic growth. As you know, adding fuel to the fire, the reconciliation bill being debated in Congress would more than triple ICE funding and supercharge family separations, mass deportations and the economic hardships in this report.

This report is part of a broader initiative to protect America’s workforce, keep prices stable, and maintain U.S. competitiveness. Read the full report and download shareable graphics, a social toolkit, and the article in Bloomberg News.