2012 Winner of the Outstanding Book Award presented by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Outstanding Academic Title from 2011 by Choice Magazine Too often, the criminal justice system silences victims, which leaves them frustrated, angry, and with many unanswered questions. Despite their rage and pain, many victims want the opportunity to confront their offenders and find resolution. After the Crime explores a victim-offender dialogue program that offers victims of severe violence an opportunity to meet face-to-face with their incarcerated offenders. Using rich in-depth interview data, the book follows the harrowing stories of crimes of stranger rape, domestic violence, marital rape, incest, child sexual abuse, murder, and drunk driving, ultimately moving beyond story-telling to provide an accessible scholarly analysis of restorative justice. Susan Miller argues that the program has significantly helped the victims who chose to face their offenders in very concrete, transformative ways. Likewise, the offenders have also experienced positive changes in their lives in terms of creating greater accountability and greater victim empathy. After the Crime explores their transformative experiences with restorative justice, vividly illustrating how one program has worked in conjunction with the criminal justice system in order to strengthen victim empowerment.

This insightful volume offers a radical reassessment of the infamous "Gulag Archipelago" by exploring the history of Vorkuta, an arctic coal-mining outpost originally established in the 1930s as a prison camp complex. Author Alan Barenberg's eye-opening study reveals Vorkuta as an active urban center with a substantial nonprisoner population where the borders separating camp and city were contested and permeable, enabling prisoners to establish social connections that would eventually aid them in their transitions to civilian life. With this book, Barenberg makes an important historical contribution to our understanding of forced labor in the Soviet Union and its enduring legacy.

This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date study of how inmates and their wives cope with incarceration and to what extent conjugal visit programs help their marriages. The findings of a family support program in upper New York State compares different groups and has implications for social welfare and corrections professionals. The authors review the historical background of family support programs for prison inmates, the related literature, and raise questions about the kinds of policies, programs, and services that affect inmates and their families. They point to the effects of clinical intervention on different ethnic groups and make recommendations for the future to help the couples better cope.

These essays treat the legal, financial, ethical, political, institutional, and social dimensions of the most important element of America's correctional crisis: prison overcrowding. The collection may become a standard work in the field, especially for those who question the feasibility and wisdom of building more prisons. The need for rational policy-making that links prison sentences with available prison space comes through clearly and forcefully. Chapters by well-known authorities describe the extent of overcrowding in prisons and jails, review current law regarding the constituitonality of overcrowded prison facilities, and summarize research on causes and consequences. . . . Highly recommended. Choice Because of the recent explosion in the American prison population, which has risen more than 40 percent in just six years, overcrowding has reached crisis proportions and conditions within prisons continue to deteriorate. This book takes a close look at the policy implications of that crisis, addressing constitutional issues, economic and political questions, and a wide range of possible long- and short-term solutions. Written by some of the most experienced academics and consultants now working the field, it provides a theoretical orientation and up-to-date factual background for each of the issues and practical policy alternatives that are studied.

Is life without parole the perfect compromise to the death penalty? Or is it as ethically fraught as capital punishment? This comprehensive, interdisciplinary anthology treats life without parole as "the new death penalty." Editors Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. and Austin Sarat bring together original work by prominent scholars in an effort to better understand the growth of life without parole and its social, cultural, political, and legal meanings. What justifies the turn to life imprisonment? How should we understand the fact that this penalty is used disproportionately against racial minorities? What are the most promising avenues for limiting, reforming, or eliminating life without parole sentences in the United States? Contributors explore the structure of life without parole sentences and the impact they have on prisoners, where the penalty fits in modern theories of punishment, and prospects for (as well as challenges to) reform.

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"A book that can spur good discussion and stimulate critical thinking."
--"Law and Politics Book Review"

"A finely reasoned argument on the ills of punishment. . . . An informative and thought provoking read."
--"New York Law Journal"

"Philosophers of law too often assume that criminal punishment is of course justified and then argue over exactly what is the best justification for the practice--utilitarian deterrence, retribution, moral education, etc. It is important that this shared assumption be challenged and that serious consideration be given to the possibility that criminal punishment may not be justified at all. Although Professor Golash has by no means persuaded me that all criminal punishment should be totally abolished, her book is to be welcomed as an attempt to provoke serious reflection on this basic issue."
--Jeffrie G. Murphy, Regents' Professor of Law, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, Arizona State University

"A work of sweeping vision and profound insight. Punishment, Golash demonstrates convincingly, is wrong in itself and counterproductive as well. That her fine book closes with a thoughtful sketch of a world without punishment is a testament to the author's intellectual range and originality."
--Robert Johnson, author of "Hard Time: Understanding and Reforming the Prison"

What ends do we expect and hope to serve in punishing criminal wrongdoers? Does the punishment of offenders do more harm than good for American society? In The Case against Punishment, Deirdre Golash addresses these and other questions about the value of punishment in contemporary society.

Drawing on bothempirical evidence and philosophical literature, this book argues that the harm done by punishing criminal offenders is ultimately morally unjustified. Asserting that punishment inflicts both intended and unintended harms on offenders, Golash suggests that crime can be reduced by addressing social problems correlated with high crime rates, such as income inequality and local social disorganization. Punishment may reduce crime, but in so doing, causes a comparable amount of harm to offenders. Instead, Golash suggests, we should address criminal acts through trial, conviction, and compensation to the victim, while also providing the criminal with the opportunity to reconcile with society through morally good action rather than punishment.

Key Issues in Corrections is an engaging textbook critically analyzing the most important challenges affecting the correctional system in the USA. Written by a highly respected expert in the field, and building on his best-selling book Special problems in corrections, it examines long-standing and emerging issues, grounding the discussion in empirical research and current events. Updates to this edition include: * Integrating new scholarship, lawsuits, and the use of technology * The introduction and evaluation of new policies and practices * New sections on "The Privatization of Prisons" and "The Death Penalty" Primarily written for undergraduate students who have already had an introduction to the topic, the book offers a no-nonsense approach to explaining the problems of correctional officers, correctional managers, prisoners, and the public.

Wilbert Rideau, an award-winning journalist who spent forty-four years in prison, delivers a remarkable memoir of crime, punishment, and ultimate triumph.
After killing a bank teller in a moment of panic during a botched robbery, Wilbert Rideau was sentenced to death at the age of nineteen. He spent several years on death row at Angola before his sentence was commuted to life, where, as editor of the prison newsmagazine "The Angolite," he undertook a mission to expose and reform Louisiana's iniquitous justice system from the inside. Vivid, incisive, and compassionate, this is a detailed account of prison life and a man who accepted responsibility for his actions and worked to redeem himself. It is a story about not giving up; finding love in unexpected places; the power of kindness; and the ability to do good, no matter where you are.

Drawing on research in men's long-term, maximum-security prisons, this book examines three interconnected problems: the tendency of the prison to obscure other social problems and conceal its own failings, the pursuit of greater levels of human security through repressive and violent means and the persistence of the belief in the problem of 'evil'.

This book offers a broad overview of transition practices for incarcerated youth, shaped by local culture, politics, ideologies, and philosophies. It highlights the similarities and differences in international approaches, as well as promising practices. The book is divided into two sections: Section One presents a synthesis of the current research on essential areas shown to promote successful transitions for incarcerated youth, using the Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 as a cohesive framework, Section Two focuses on national perspectives on topical issues impacting local transition practices and/or policy. It provides information pertaining to the respective countries and a summary of key facets of their juvenile justice system, including successful or promising approaches and programs used in transition. This book benefits academics and researchers from a broad range of fields, policy makers and leadership teams from various agencies, associations, and government departments with an interest in juvenile and youth justice, social work, and special education courses on transition planning.

"This book explores the origins of the so-called "punitive turn" in penal policy across Western nations over the past two decades. It demonstrates how the context of neoliberalism has informed penal policy-making and argues that it is ultimately neoliberalism which has led to the recent intensification of punishment"--

A collection of original contributions by philosophers working in the ethics of punishment, gathering new perspectives on various challenging topics including punishment and forgiveness, dignity, discrimination, public opinion, torture, rehabilitation, and restitution.

Foundational principles of the contemporary practices of both restorative justice and the concept of therapeutic jurisprudence often import organic and indigenous practices of conflict resolution to resolve insufficiencies and even to explain fundamental ideas. Too often, the indiscriminate use of such practices does not mind the gap between the defining principles, the guiding principles, or the limiting principles that challenge particular features of practical applications. Minding the Gap Between Restorative Justice, Therapeutic Jurisprudence, and Global Indigenous Wisdom gives an authentic voice to practitioners and theorists whose work originates in organic or indigenous conflict resolution. It raises awareness of the diversity of approaches to dispute resolution from the deep perspective of their foundations and understands the challenges that arise in the practical application of restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence models when using principles disconnected from their foundation. It further offers ways to bridge the gap so that it is no longer an obstacle but a source of transformation. Covering topics such as justice praxes, indigenous conflict resolution, and global indigenous wisdom, this premier reference source is a dynamic resource for HR managers, lawyers, government officials, mediators, counselors, students and faculty of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

This is an innovative study of 300 delinquent boys in a medium security institution and after their release. This longitudinal field experiment shows how peers affect the rehabilitation of different group members, how staff use those influences to lead to prosocial change after release from the institution, and how different behavior, values, and feelings improved. This well-designed research has broad implications for use in graduate courses in sociology, criminology and penology, social and personality psychology, and group dynamics. The book is equally useful to administrators and policymakers dealing with delinquents and individuals with behavior problems. The field experiment was devised with both practical and theoretical purposes in mind, to develop corrective programs for delinquent youth and to test social science hypotheses in the context of a longitudinal experimental research design. The study presents a typology of delinquent boys that guides differential treatment, focuses on peer group and staff influences, and identifies factors in residential treatment and in the open community that facilitate prosocial reentry. The findings test hypotheses about group and staff impact on anti-social behavior within the institution and after release.

The voluntary sector has a long history of involvement in criminal justice by providing a variety of services to offenders and their families, victims and witnesses. This collection brings together leading experts to provide critical reflections and cutting edge research on the contemporary features of voluntary sector work in criminal justice. At a time when the voluntary sector's role is being transformed, this book examines the dynamic nature of the voluntary sector and its responses to current uncertainties, and some of the conflicting positions with regards to its present and future role in criminal justice work. It also examines the potential impact of economic, political and ideological trends on the role and remit of voluntary sector organisations which undertake criminal justice work.

This brand new edition of "Death Penalty Cases" makes the most manageable comprehensive resource on the death penalty even better. It includes the most recent cases, including Kennedy v. Louisiana, prohibiting the death penalty for child rapists, and Baze v. Rees, upholding execution by lethal injection. In addition, all of the cases are now topically organized into five sections: * The Foundational Cases * Death-Eligibility: Which persons/crimes are fit for the death penalty? * The Death Penalty Trial * Post-conviction Review * Execution Issues The introductory essays on the history, administration, and controversies surrounding capital punishment have been thoroughly revised. The statistical appendix has been brought up-to-date, and the statutory appendixhas beenrestructured. For clarity, accuracy, complete impartiality and comprehensiveness, there simply is no better resource on capital punishment available.

* Provides the most recent case material--no need to supplement. * Topical organization of cases provides a more logical organization for structuring a course. * Co-authors with different perspectives on the death penalty assures complete impartiality of the material. * Provides the necessary historical background, a clear explanation of the current capital case process, and an impartial description of the controversies surrounding the death penalty * Provides the latest statistics relevant to discussions on the death penalty. * Clearly explains the different ways in which the states process death penalty cases, with excerpts of the most relevant statutes."

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"A gathering of well known scholars and policy experts, Harcourt's "Guns, Crime, and Punishment in America" is an interesting and captivating read. Students of criminal justice will find the book current in analysis as well as thought provoking. Policy types will find it thoughtful and sophisticated. This book is a collection of ideas, not a hodgepodge of topically related articles. Taken together, they make for a very satisfying book.
--"The Law and Politics Book Review"

Guns, Crime, and Punishment in America assembles a diverse group of the nation's leading authorities on guns and gun violence to present the most up-to-date research currently available. Exploring such controversial issues as gun- tracing initiatives, the possible extension of the Brady Bill, gun-oriented policing, federal law enforcement initiatives such as "Project Exile," and civil litigation against gun manufacturers, Guns, Crime, and Punishment in America embarks upon a more balanced and nuanced discussion about firearms. Though the book's contributors operate from a wide variety of political perspectives and methodological approaches, a central desire unifies the book: to end the extreme polarization that currently characterizes the debate on guns, and generate reasonable and practical gun policies in the United States.

Contributors: Sara Sun Beale, Anthony A. Braga, Carl Bogus, Jenny Berrien, Abigail Caplovitz, Philip J. Cook, Garth Davies, Christopher Eisgruber, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Mark Geistfeld, James B. Jacobs, Dan M. Kahan, David Kairys, David B. Kopel, Sanford Levinson, Jens Ludwig, Daniel C. Richman, Jerome H. Skolnick, Richard Slotkin, Chris Winship, and Franklin E. Zimring.

'The Gulag Archipelago' presents the vision of a world of prison camps and secret police, of informers, spies and interrogators. But it also tells of the heroism in a Stalinist hell at the heart of the Soviet Union.

Offers a fascinating view of the social history of Georgian London through the workings of the Summary courts. By analyzing the summary proceedings and the use of the law by ordinary citizens - to prosecute theft, violence and resolve disputes - this study represents an important addition to our understanding of the criminal justice system --Provided by publisher.

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"Johnson gives these women visibility and voice as they relate their lives, their crimes, and their efforts to remain connected to families and communities...powerful."
-- "Booklist"

"Johnson's "Inner Lives" provides both a serious intervention in the literature on prisons and a venue through which incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black women can speak for themselves. It challenges readers to take action."--"Black Renaissance"

""Inner Lives" soars when the women are allowed to speak for themselves."
--"Book"

"Johnson illuminates how the race and gender of African American women affect how they are treated in the American criminal justice system."
--"The Women's Review of Books"

"Johnson provides a historical look at African American women in the U.S. criminal justice system from the colonial period to the present."
--"Law's Social Inquiry"

The rate of women entering prison has increased nearly 400 percent since 1980, with African American women constituting the largest percentage of this population. However, despite their extremely disproportional representation in correctional institutions, little attention has been paid to their experiences within the criminal justice system.

Inner Lives provides readers the rare opportunity to intimately connect with African American women prisoners. By presenting the women's stories in their own voices, Paula C. Johnson captures the reality of those who are in the system, and those who are working to help them. Johnson offers a nuanced and compelling portrait of this fastest-growing prison population by blending legal history, ethnography, sociology, andcriminology. These striking and vivid narratives are accompanied by equally compelling arguments by Johnson on how to reform our nation's laws and social policies, in order to eradicate existing inequalities. Her thorough and insightful analysis of the historical and legal background of contemporary criminal law doctrine, sentencing theories, and correctional policies sets the stage for understanding the current system.