This discussion of the effects of mass incarceration on society was very eye opening for me. I never knew all the ways that mass incarceration could affect not only the incarcerated but their families and their communities. It was surprising to me that kids who live in a community where a lot of people are incarcerated have lower cognitive abilities even if they were not directly affected through incarceration through a family member. In addition, it was discussed how many children of those incarcerated have developmental problems causing many of them to be kicked out of preschools, thus, setting them back education wise. I also never thought about how child support could bury incarcerated fathers in debt. It was discussed how when released on probation there are many fees that need to be paid plus child support that causes a overwhelming amount of debt for those incarcerated. The issue of racism was also brought up when it was shown that black people with arrest histories are way less likely to be hired than white people with arrest histories. It was also interesting to me how because of the internet arrest histories become way more public, and that a record can cause way more damage now than it did in the past. Finally, I agree with the notion that families are the key element that decreases recidivation rates. I think that the program in which the incarcerated help their children with their homework is a great way for the incarcerated to stay connected with their family. Finally, I thought it was terrible that some people rather stay in prison that leave since they have no support system on the outside, and they are used to life in prison.