Offering perspectives from a range of experts, both academic and
nonacademic, this reference book examines the development of
prisons in the United States and addresses the principal
contemporary issues and controversies of our prisons and prison
systems. Prisons were initially created as a means of reforming
offenders, but over time, the objective of rehabilitation gave way
to a strategy of mass imprisonment-a system that has resulted in
correctional facilities dealing with serious problems such as
overcrowding, prison gangs, pervasive violence, and a significant
incidence of mental illness among inmates. Prisons in the United
States: A Reference Handbook examines the history of corrections in
America, detailing how well-intentioned policies intended to "get
tough on crime" sanctioned the dismantling of parole systems and
resulted in laws that imposed mandatory minimum sentences. These
changes contributed to the United States now having the biggest
incarcerated population worldwide and the highest rate of
incarceration. The book offers an accessible history of the
development of the prison system in the United States and analyzes
the various problems and controversies associated with prisons in
the present day. The coverage includes key related issues,
including those of race and gender, and enables readers to
understand how past developments continue to affect public and
official perceptions of the prison experience-for example, how the
practice of keeping inmates in solitary confinement for lengthy
periods has been reinvented and represents a return to a
historically discredited practice. Accounts of former inmates and
of correctional officers are integrated into the text, adding
context and offering rarely heard perspectives on difficult issues
affecting prisons. Presents a comprehensive yet succinct history of
the development of men's and women's prisons in the United States
Offers a range of author perspectives that identify and explore the
principal issues associated with prisons and imprisonment Documents
the shift from an intent to reform inmates in prisons to
retribution and an attempt to remove all criminals from society,
using prisons for "warehousing" of undesired elements Provides a
complete reference guide for the understanding of prisons and
imprisonment as a punishment
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