The person is pointed to as an example of how many people in the neighborhood are bad, or how many are repeat offenders. Having a criminal record also makes it more difficult to find a job. The criminal justice system cannot be used to conform all antisocial behavior, from mental illness to teenage rebelliousness. In some urban areas, so many young men are removed by the criminal justice system that it is increasingly difficult to maintain the two-parent family as a bulwark against crime. Prison has ceased to function as an effective deterrent in some communities because it is overused.
Many young men regard time in prison as a rite of passage.
Women and children have suffered disproportionately from the imprisonment binge. Women represent the fastest growing classification of prisoners nationwide, with most offenses being non-violent property offenses such as shoplifting, check forgery or substance abuse. Incarcerating women often separates children from their primary care givers. Three fourths of women in prison are single mothers with sole custody of an average of two children. Searches and seizures that were unthinkable a generation ago are now commonplace.