Politics

What Do You Want to Know About Mass Incarceration?

By Catherine Green
Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021.

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s cover story on the causes and consequences of the age of mass incarceration has produced a massive response. And we’re continuing to explore the economic and emotional effects on families when a loved one is incarcerated, such as Coates’s in-depth look at the intellectual roots of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report “The Negro Family,” and an eye-opening debate between Coates and Jeffrey Goldberg on potential solutions. Check out all of our ongoing coverage here.

Now that you’ve had several days to digest the cover story, what lingering questions do you have about it? What do you want to know about  the complex topic of mass incarceration?

Tell us here.

Your input will help guide our coverage going forward.

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Here are some of the questions we’ve answered so far based on your responses: Why did crime rates fall in the U.S.? What role did decreased crack use play in that decline?