SJC Exchange Library

Mass incarceration in the U.S. disproportionately harms people with disabilities and Deaf people, who are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal legal system. While the role of psychiatric disabilities is widely acknowledged, other disabilities — including intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities — are often overlooked in both research and reform efforts. More than half of incarcerated people have at least one disability, with 80% of women and 65% of men in prison reporting a disability. These disparities are compounded by systemic racism, poverty, and other inequities, hitting Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities especially hard. Addressing mass incarceration requires centering disability equity and adopting a cross-disability approach that recognizes visible and invisible disabilities, as well as the cultural and linguistic identity of Deaf communities. Without this focus, reforms will continue to exclude some of the most impacted populations.