Date of Thesis

Spring 2026

Description

In modern contemporary politics, concerns surrounding the impacts of the criminal justice system have become increasingly polarized, with those who hold more conservative values favoring a retributive system, while those with more liberal views favor restorative policies. Criminal justice has been a controversial topic for much longer, throughout the history of the United States. Through a historical analysis, I found that incarceration policies varied across states and were a focus of political differences early in American history. However, they began becoming a partisan issue only in the mid 20th century, as Federal intervention within state corrections became more common with the introduction of initiatives such as the war on drugs, and later with laws such as the 1994 crime bill. While concerns surrounding the system as a whole have primarily been limited to these federal policies, there is a gap in scholarly understanding of the true impacts between state legislative polarization and the impact it has on the criminal justice system in individual states. Through a quantitative analysis I find that conservative public ideologies have higher rates of incarceration, while unified Democratic states have lower rates of recidivism. Through a qualitative analysis I found that state often mimicked federal policy, as well as individual controversies to appease constituencies, and also continue to receive Federal appropriations.

Keywords

State Government, Federal Intervention, Public Policy, Political Science, Criminal Justice, Partisanship

Access Type

Honors Thesis (Bucknell Access Only)

Degree Type

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Political Science

Minor, Emphasis, or Concentration

Public Policy

First Advisor

Dr. Scott Meinke

Second Advisor

Dr. Chris Ellis

Third Advisor

Dr. Mehmet Dosemeci

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