Prison bars / Flickr User Thomas Hawk / HTTP://J.MP/1SPGCL0

Sentencing people to prison instead of probation can have some long-lasting effects, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan.

It found that if you're convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison rather than probation, you're more likely to go back to prison.

Jeff Morenoff, a sociology professor at U of M and co-author of the study, says people who are sentenced to prison have a hard time escaping the criminal justice system.

“There's an intrinsic logic to the system that ensures that the flow of people into prison is going to keep growing, because of the high risk they are at of being sent back once they are let out,” Morenoff said.

Read the full article here.