Overview

On a per capita basis, the United States incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other nation in the world. This book explains the social, economic, and political forces that account for this controversial distinction through features that include context-setting introductory chapters, illuminating primary documents, informative biographical and organizational profiles, a detailed timeline of events and trends related to incarceration in the USA, and personal essays contributed by administrators, researchers, educators, and people with firsthand experience of life behind bars.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rachel M. Durso (Washington College, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781440881428

ISBN 10:   1440881421
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   28 May 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary & secondary/elementary & high school ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Educational: Primary & Secondary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments 1. Background and History History of Prisons in the United States: Colonial Era to the Civil War Changes in Incarceration: Post Civil War to the 1960s Transition to the Modern Carceral State: 1960s to Present Conclusion References 2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions Incarceration and Inequality Contributors to Mass Incarceration The Criminal Justice System Problems with the Prison System Penal Reform and Decarceration Conclusion References 3. Perspectives Inside Out, Annalie Buscarino The Adultification of Black , Mercier Do It Differently, Megan S. Learning from Anger Management, Penni Walker Doyle The Empowerment Library, Nanna Bailey 4. Profiles People Angela Y. Davis (1944– ) John J. DiIulio, Jr. (1958– ) David Garland (1955– ) Ruth Wilson Gilmore (1950– ) George L. Kelling (1935–2019) Joan Petersilia (1951–2019) Sister Helen Prejean (1939– ) Lawrence W. Sherman (1949– ) Bryan Stevenson (1959– ) James Q. Wilson (1931–2012) Organizations The Innocence Project and Innocence Network The Marshall Project Prison Policy Initiative The Sentencing Project References 5. Data and Documents Data Figure 5.1: Total Prison Population, 1925–2023 Figure 5.2: State and Federal Prison Populations, 1980–2023 Figure 5.3: Change in Incarceration Rates, 1980–2023 Documents Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865) Gregg v. Georgia (1976) President Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union Address (1985) President George H.W. Bush’s Address at the National Peace Officers Memorial Day Service in Washington, DC (1989) Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994) Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996) Miller v. Alabama (2012) President Barack Obama’s Remarks at the NAACP Conference in Philadelphia, PA (2015) References 6. Resources Books and Reports Journalism and Media Resources Places Websites and Databases References 7. Chronology Glossary Index

Reviews

Author Information

Rachel M. Durso is Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair of Sociology at Washington College, MD, USA. Durso's primary research interests concern the consequences of mass incarceration in the United States in the 21st century. Her research explores the ways in which social control of minority groups, partisanship, and historical punishment practices affect modern-day punishment issues such as increases in corrections spending, prison admissions, and prison privatization.

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