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9780814717196

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This compelling narrative helps us better understand the history, trajectory, and complexity of the politics of punishment in the United States over the past four decades. At a time of impending shifts in the correctional landscape in this country, this impressive volume should be on the reading list not only for scholars and students of mass incarceration, but also for corrections practitioners and policymakers everywhere who care about a new vision for America's penal system. -Laurie O. Robinson, Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice

Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation's forty-year embrace of the punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an expose of correctional failure. Recognizing that a policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practical blueprint for choosing a different correctional future - counsel that is wise and should be widely followed. -Francis Cullen, Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati Criminologists Clear (Imprisoning Communities) and Frost (The Punitive State) offer an accessible study of mass incarceration in the U.S. that is theoretically sophisticated and rich in statistical data...A meticulously organized concluding chapter lays out their proposals with an eye toward reducing sentences and making them more humane for nonviolent offenders. The book merits serious consideration beyond an academic audience. --Publishers Weekly Full of lists and charts, with a well-documented text, this study does not obscure the authors' sympathy for those who, locked up or on the outside, have suffered during the war on crime and drugs in ways that too few politicians have sought to assuage or alleviate [...] This short, efficiently conveyed study cannot delve into all of the ramifications of how to integrate those returning to society, however, The Punishment Imperative attests to the need for a better way to manage the millions that our nation have, for too long, relegated to simply lock up, forever. - John L. Murphy, Pop Matters

For forty years, the heavy hammer of criminal punishment has been the nation's primary tool for addressing social problems. And when the hammer has failed to fix these problems or does further damage, we've responded by grabbing an even bigger hammer. In The Punishment Imperative, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost convincingly demonstrate that the hammer has, finally, become too heavy for us to raise. They offer a masterful dissection of this 'grand social experiment'; showing how we embarked on this strategy, its costs to individuals and communities, and a clear-headed path to real reform. The Punishment Imperative is neither armchair critique nor utopian vision, but rather an eye-opening and truly authoritative treatment by two true experts on punishment's past, present, and future. -Christopher Uggen,co-author of Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy This compelling narrative helps us better understand the history, trajectory, and complexity of the politics of punishment in the United States over the past four decades. At a time of impending shifts in the correctional landscape in this country, this impressive volume should be on the reading list not only for scholars and students of mass incarceration, but also for corrections practitioners and policymakers everywhere who care about a new vision for America's penal system. -Laurie O. Robinson,Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice This well-documented volume will interest anyone connected to our criminal justice system and may appeal to general readers concerned about the subject of incarceration. -Frances O. Sandiford ,Library Journal Criminologists Clear (Imprisoning Communities) and Frost (The Punitive State) offer an accessible study of mass incarceration in the U.S. that is theoretically sophisticated and rich in statistical data ... A meticulously organized concluding chapter lays out their proposals with an eye toward reducing sentences and making them more humane for nonviolent offenders. The book merits serious consideration beyond an academic audience. -Publishers Weekly This short, efficiently conveyed study cannot delve into all of the ramifications of how to integrate those returning to society, however, The Punishment Imperative attests to the need for a better way to manage the millions that our nation have, for too long, relegated to simply lock up, forever. -Popmatters The book's 200 pages of details and its prescriptions will be intriguing even to those who know the field. -Jotwell Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation's forty-year embrace of the punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an expose of correctional failure. Recognizing that a policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practical blueprint for choosing a different correctional future-counsel that is wise and should be widely followed. -Francis Cullen,Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati Part historical study, part forward-looking policy analysis, The Punishment Imperative is a compelling study of a generation of crime and punishment in America. -Douglas A. Berman,Sentencing Law and Policy It is too soon to tell if a sea of change is upon the US penal system, but the authors make their cogent argument in this well-written book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. -P. Horne,Choice

Criminologists Clear (Imprisoning Communities) and Frost (The Punitive State) offer an accessible study of mass incarceration in the U.S. that is theoretically sophisticated and rich in statistical data ... A meticulously organized concluding chapter lays out their proposals with an eye toward reducing sentences and making them more humane for nonviolent offenders. The book merits serious consideration beyond an academic audience. -Publishers Weekly For forty years, the heavy hammer of criminal punishment has been the nation's primary tool for addressing social problems. And when the hammer has failed to fix these problems or does further damage, we've responded by grabbing an even bigger hammer. In The Punishment Imperative, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost convincingly demonstrate that the hammer has, finally, become too heavy for us to raise. They offer a masterful dissection of this 'grand social experiment'; showing how we embarked on this strategy, its costs to individuals and communities, and a clear-headed path to real reform. The Punishment Imperative is neither armchair critique nor utopian vision, but rather an eye-opening and truly authoritative treatment by two true experts on punishment's past, present, and future. -Christopher Uggen,co-author of Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy This well-documented volume will interest anyone connected to our criminal justice system and may appeal to general readers concerned about the subject of incarceration. -Frances O. Sandiford ,Library Journal This short, efficiently conveyed study cannot delve into all of the ramifications of how to integrate those returning to society, however, The Punishment Imperative attests to the need for a better way to manage the millions that our nation have, for too long, relegated to simply lock up, forever. -Popmatters This compelling narrative helps us better understand the history, trajectory, and complexity of the politics of punishment in the United States over the past four decades. At a time of impending shifts in the correctional landscape in this country, this impressive volume should be on the reading list not only for scholars and students of mass incarceration, but also for corrections practitioners and policymakers everywhere who care about a new vision for America's penal system. -Laurie O. Robinson,Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation's forty-year embrace of the punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an expose of correctional failure. Recognizing that a policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practical blueprint for choosing a different correctional future-counsel that is wise and should be widely followed. -Francis Cullen,Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati Part historical study, part forward-looking policy analysis, The Punishment Imperative is a compelling study of a generation of crime and punishment in America. -Douglas A. Berman,Sentencing Law and Policy The book's 200 pages of details and its prescriptions will be intriguing even to those who know the field. -Jotwell It is too soon to tell if a sea of change is upon the US penal system, but the authors make their cogent argument in this well-written book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. -P. Horne,Choice

This short, efficiently conveyed study cannot delve into all of the ramifications of how to integrate those returning to society, however, The Punishment Imperative attests to the need for a better way to manage the millions that our nation have, for too long, relegated to simply lock up, forever. -Popmatters This compelling narrative helps us better understand the history, trajectory, and complexity of the politics of punishment in the United States over the past four decades. At a time of impending shifts in the correctional landscape in this country, this impressive volume should be on the reading list not only for scholars and students of mass incarceration, but also for corrections practitioners and policymakers everywhere who care about a new vision for America's penal system. -Laurie O. Robinson,Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation's forty-year embrace of the punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an expose of correctional failure. Recognizing that a policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practical blueprint for choosing a different correctional future-counsel that is wise and should be widely followed. -Francis Cullen,Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati This well-documented volume will interest anyone connected to our criminal justice system and may appeal to general readers concerned about the subject of incarceration. -Frances O. Sandiford ,Library Journal For forty years, the heavy hammer of criminal punishment has been the nation's primary tool for addressing social problems. And when the hammer has failed to fix these problems or does further damage, we've responded by grabbing an even bigger hammer. In The Punishment Imperative, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost convincingly demonstrate that the hammer has, finally, become too heavy for us to raise. They offer a masterful dissection of this 'grand social experiment'; showing how we embarked on this strategy, its costs to individuals and communities, and a clear-headed path to real reform. The Punishment Imperative is neither armchair critique nor utopian vision, but rather an eye-opening and truly authoritative treatment by two true experts on punishment's past, present, and future. -Christopher Uggen,co-author of Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy Part historical study, part forward-looking policy analysis, The Punishment Imperative is a compelling study of a generation of crime and punishment in America. -Douglas A. Berman,Sentencing Law and Policy The book's 200 pages of details and its prescriptions will be intriguing even to those who know the field. -Jotwell Criminologists Clear (Imprisoning Communities) and Frost (The Punitive State) offer an accessible study of mass incarceration in the U.S. that is theoretically sophisticated and rich in statistical data ... A meticulously organized concluding chapter lays out their proposals with an eye toward reducing sentences and making them more humane for nonviolent offenders. The book merits serious consideration beyond an academic audience. -Publishers Weekly It is too soon to tell if a sea of change is upon the US penal system, but the authors make their cogent argument in this well-written book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. -P. Horne,Choice

Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear and Natasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation's forty-year embrace of the punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an expose of correctional failure. Recognizing that a policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practical blueprint for choosing a different correctional future - counsel that is wise and should be widely followed. -Francis Cullen, Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati

Author Information

Todd R. Clear is Provost at Rutgers University, Newark. He is the author of Imprisoning Communities and What Is Community Justice? And is the founding editor of the journal Criminology & Public Policy. Natasha A. Frost is Associate Dean and Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Her books include The Punitive State and Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Policy.

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