A Test of Social Stress Theory As Applied to the Study of Imprisonment Rates

The research presented in this article attempts to contribute to the ongoing study of the determinants of state imprisonment rates. Crime rates and unemployment rates have been studied extensively as they relate to imprisonment rates, and a number of demographic and social/structural factors have been analyzed as potential predictors of rates of imprisonment rates. In this study, the analysis of imprisonment rates was expanded through the consideration of other social stress variables and ameliorative factors that have been theorized to be associated with crime rates and imprisonment rates. The most interesting finding was that the variable prison costs, defined as the average cost per inmate per year, was found to have a significant effect on imprisonment rates. Percentage of Black population in the state and percentage of the population without health insurance were also found to have significant relationships with imprisonment rates, providing initial support for social stress theory of imprisonment.