Over the past decade, the political landscape in the realm of criminal justice policy has shifted towards broad support for prison reform. Recent calls for defunding as a solution to the problems of mass incarceration are gaining traction from a diverse group of political actors. The case of prison reform in Mississippi provides important insight on the effects of a reform model that prioritizes cutting costs. This article examines the consequences of pursuing penal reforms in the broader context of fiscal austerity. First, the case of Mississippi shows how local context shapes austerity driven reforms in ways that make them particularly unsuited to address mass incarceration. The development of the carceral state in Mississippi created labor and public-sector dependencies on the correctional system and overcoming these interests will require public investments. Second, the article shows how austerity driven reforms fail to adequately staff and support public sector correctional workers which has rendered prisons in Mississippi even more dangerous and deadly. The Mississippi case indicates that until there are more significant drops in incarceration rates and robust alternatives to the functions of the carceral state, reductions in correctional budgets do not signal downsizing, but rather mass incarceration on the cheap.

在过去的十年中，刑事司法政策领域的政治格局已转向广泛支持监狱改革。最近呼吁将资金用于解决大规模监禁问题的呼声越来越多地吸引了各种各样的政治角色。密西西比州监狱改革的案例提供了对优先考虑削减成本的改革模式的效果的重要见解。本文探讨了在更广泛的财政紧缩背景下进行刑事改革的后果。首先，密西西比州的案例表明，当地背景如何以紧缩政策推动改革，使改革特别不适合解决大规模监禁问题。密西西比州患病状态的发展在劳教制度上产生了劳动和公共部门的依存关系，要克服这些利益，就需要公共投资。其次，文章显示了紧缩驱动的改革如何无法适当地配备人员和支持公共部门的教养工作者，这使密西西比州的监狱更加危险和致命。密西西比州的案子表明，除非监禁率显着下降并且可以替代监禁状态的功能，否则，纠正性预算的减少并不意味着裁员，而是廉价的大规模监禁。文章显示了紧缩驱动的改革如何无法适当地配备人员和支持公共部门的教养工作者，这使密西西比州的监狱更加危险和致命。密西西比州的案子表明，除非监禁率显着下降并且可以替代监禁状态的功能，否则，纠正性预算的减少并不意味着裁员，而是廉价的大规模监禁。文章显示了紧缩驱动的改革如何无法适当地配备人员和支持公共部门的教养工作者，这使密西西比州的监狱更加危险和致命。密西西比州的案子表明，除非监禁率显着下降并且可以替代监禁状态的功能，否则，纠正性预算的减少并不意味着裁员，而是廉价的大规模监禁。