Penology and punishment Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Trade Review"Correctional Contexts covers the primary areas I like to address in class but still allows me to introduce new material through my lectures. It is written at a level that challenges students and does an excellent job of exposing them to both classical and contemporary literature in the field."--Eric J. Wodahl, University of Wyoming "This text is comprehensive: it provides a historical perspective, takes students through the entire spectrum of the field, and is instructor friendly."--Elvira M. White-Lewis, Texas A&M Commerce UniversityTable of Contents*=New to this Edition Preface: About the Contributors: Introduction: PART I: HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF PUNISHMENT AND IMPRISONMENT Introduction 1. The Spectacle of Suffering, Pieter C. Spierenburg Using a systems approach, Spierenburg explores the origins of the criminal justice system and the rise of the nation state in pre-industrial Western Europe. The criminal justice system at several points throughout history is identified as a tool of governmental repression. 2. The Discovery of the Asylum, David J. Rothman Rothman considers urbanization, industrialization, and reform in his piece on the rise of the American penitentiary, in which he investigates the origin and design of the early penal institutions. 3. A Look at Prison History, Thorsten Sellin Sellin analyzes the transition from confinement strictly for the purpose of detention to confinement as the punishment itself. He explores the conditions in the early institutions as well as prison labor. 4. Partial Justice: Women, Prisons, and Social Control, Nicole Hahn Rafter Rafter examines the criminal justice system in general, and the Albion, New York, institution for women in particular as mechanisms of social control for women throughout the early twentieth century. 5. Sentencing in the United States, Lawrence F. Travis, III Travis reviews the theory and philosophy of punishing and corrections. He discusses the prediction of future behavior and truth in sentencing, two of the more salient issues that face judges and legislators. 6. Assessing the Penal Harm Movement, Francis T. Cullen Cullen reviews the impact of America's imprisonment binge and explores what damage may have resulted. He offers guidelines for the future of penal strategy. PART II: LIVING IN PRISON Introduction 7. The Prison Community, Donald Clemmer Clemmer examines one aspect of the prison subculture, "prisonization," and its origins. * 8. Depth, Weight, Tightness: Revisiting the Pains of Imprisonment, Ben Crewe Analysis of the overt and covert "pains of imprisonment" has a long history in correctional research. Crewe revisits the relevance of historically identified pains of imprisonment and offers a vivid account and new conceptualization of what living in prison really entails. 9. Relationships Between Inmates and Guards, Victor Hassine Hassine discusses the relationships between inmates and guards, contending that these relationships are complex and essentially hold prisons together. When stress in the form of overcrowding and understaffing occurs, the social control of the prison is jeopardized. PART III. WORKING IN PRISON Introduction 10. A Block, Ted Conover Conover worked as a correctional officer at Sing Sing to understand the guard culture. * 11. Preventing Fatal Attractions: Lessons Learned from Inmate Boundary Violators in a Southern Penitentiary System, Robert M. Worley, Richard Tewksbury, and Durant Frantzen All state prison systems have codified rules (including laws in some instances) defining and forbidding relationships between inmates and employees (most notably guards). Worley, Tewksbury, and Frantzen present rich data and reflections on this pervasive issue. PART IV. CORRECTIONAL POLICY AND OFFENDER RIGHTS * 12. Correctional Officer Burnout and Stress: Does Gender Matter?, Joseph R. Carlson, Richard H. Anson, and George Thomas Prison can be a very stressful environment for both inmates and guards. This piece examines prison guards' stress and burnout through the lens of gender in light of the increasing number of women who have entered the corrections field. 13. The Past and Future of U.S. Prison Policy, Craig Haney and Philip Zimbardo Twenty-five years after their famous Stanford Prison Experiment, Haney and Zimbardo review the changes that have occurred in the criminal justice and correctional system. 14. The Supreme Court and Prisoners' Rights, Jack E. Call There are three periods of case law and the prisoners' rights movement: (1) the hands-off period, (2) the rights period, and (3) the deference period. Call traces these movements and highlights the important cases. * 15. The Effect of Megan's Law on Sex Offender Reintegration, Jill S. Levenson and Leo P. Cotter Few if any types of offenders cause more anxiety for criminal justice stakeholders and the public at large than sex offenders. Levenson and Cotter take a close look at offender notification programs and their intended as well as unintended effects. PART V: OFFENDER PROGRAMMING AND TREATMENT 16. What Works? Questions and Answers about Prison Reform, Robert Martison Martinson summarizes the findings of a commission set up by the State of New York to seek the most effective forms of correctional treatment. His Martinson Report initiated a raging debate. 17. The Principles of Effective Correctional Programs, Don A. Andrews Perhaps no other researcher has done more to help us understand the importance of correctional treatment than Don Andrews. Through his work, he has articulated some principles of effective correctional programming. * 18. Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Youthful Offenders-Review of the Research, Edward J. Latessa In recent years the popularity of cognitive behavioral interventions has grown dramatically as more and more studies demonstrate its effectiveness in reducing recidivism. Latessa examines the different models that are used and explores the research. * 19. Prevalence of Criminal Thinking Among State Prison Inmates with Serious Mental Illness, Robert D. Morgan, William H. Fisher, Naihua Duan, Jon T. Mandracchia, and Danielle Murray Morgan and his colleagues compare a group of mentally disordered offenders to non-mentally disordered offenders and find that indices of criminal attitudes are as high or higher among the mentally disordered group. This research makes a compelling case that with an offender population, mental illness and criminal thinking often co-occur, and both need to be adequately addressed if we want to reduce recidivism. * 20. Why Work Is Important and How to Improve the Effectiveness of Correctional Reentry Programs that Target Employment, Edward J. Latessa Work is a very important part of most of our lives and is often seen as a remedy for reducing recidivism. Latessa addresses some of the ways to improve programs that focus on employment as part of the reentry process. * 21. An Experimental Demonstration of Training Probation Officers in Evidence-Based Community Supervision, James Bonta, Guy Bourgon, Tanya Rugge, Terri-Lynne Scott, Annie K. Yessine, Leticia Gutierrez, and Jobina Li This research by Bonta and his colleagues demonstrates that training probation officers on core correctional practices can have a measureable effect on reducing recidivism. This is a must-read for anyone planning to work in or study community supervision. 22. Beyond Correctional Quackery, Edward J. Latessa, Francis T. Cullen, and Paul Gendreau Despite overwhelming evidence that well-designed, empirically based correctional programs can reduce recidivism, "correctional quackery" abounds. Latessa and his colleagues identify four failures of correctional practice. PART VI: REENTRY INTO THE COMMUNITY 23. How to Prevent Prisoner Reentry Programs from Failing: Insights from Evidence-Based Corrections, Shelley Johnson Listwan, Francis T. Cullen, and Edward J. Latessa With prison populations at an all-time high, the number of offenders being released into the community is staggering. Listwan and her colleagues present a blueprint for designing reentry programs that can work. 24. Halfway Houses, Edward J. Latessa, Lawrence F. Travis, III, and Christopher Lowenkamp Halfway houses have a long history in America, yet until recently little was known about their effectiveness in reducing recidivism. Latessa and his colleagues trace the development of halfway houses and discuss what is known about their effectiveness. * 25. Is Project HOPE Creating a False Sense of Hope? A Case Study in Correctional Popularity, Stephanie A. Duriez, Francis T. Cullen, and Sarah M. Manchak Over the years there have been numerous attempts to straighten offenders out through punishment. In this critique of one such effort, Duriez and her colleagues discuss the limitations of this approach in bringing about long-term behavioral change. 26. Putting Public Safety First: 13 Strategies for Successful Supervision and Reentry, Pew Center on the States Pew offers practical strategies for improving offender reentry and supervision. PART VII: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Introduction * 27. Reducing Recidivism: Corrections Directors in Five States Share Lessons Learned, Pew Center on the States Recently there has been a renewed understanding that correctional systems have a responsibility not only to house and care for offenders but also to reduce recidivism. Five state directors of corrections share their wisdom on these efforts. 28. Social Consequences of the War on Drugs: The Legacy of Failed Policy, Eric L. Jensen, Jerg Gerber, and Clayton Mosher Jenson and his associates argue that the so-called War on Drugs in America has had grave consequences for American corrections. Diminished life chances, joblessness, HIV and AIDS, reduced social bonds, and disenfranchisement of minorities are some of the legacies of this misguided effort. * 29. Is Motherhood Important? Imprisoned Women's Maternal Experiences Before and During Confinement and their Postrelease Expectations, Sandra L. Barnes and Ebonie Cunningham Stringer * 30. Getting It Right: Realigning Juvenile Corrections in Ohio to Reinvest in What Works, Gabriella Celeste Few states have been as successful in reducing the number of youth committed to juvenile institutions as Ohio. Celeste discusses the strategy that was used to achieve this reduction.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis text tells the story of how the idea that physical suffering could be a path to redemption became a fixed part of the French legal system during the early modern period. Using documents from criminal cases, it looks at the theory and practice of judicial torture in France from 1600 to 1788.

Read more less

Book Synopsis“Bascomb has unearthed a remarkable piece of hidden history, and told it perfectly. The story brims with adventure, suspense, daring, and heroism.” —David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon Neal Bascomb, New York Times best-selling author, delivers the spellbinding story of the downed Allied airmen who masterminded the remarkably courageous—and ingenious—breakout from Germany’s most devilish POW camp.             In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots might avoid death, only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany’s archipelago of prison camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, a land-locked Alcatraz that housed the most troublesome, escape-prone officers. Its commandant was a boorish, hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer who swore that none should ever leave.             Desperate to break out of “Hellminden” and return to the fight, a group of Allied prisoners led by ace pilot (and former Army sapper) David Gray hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve. Once beyond the watchtowers and round-the-clock patrols, Gray and almost a dozen of his half-starved fellow prisoners must then make a heroic 150-mile dash through enemy-occupied territory toward free Holland.             Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Neal Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny, inspirational, and nail-biting suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Drawing on never-before-published original source detail, the epic story of two of the most consequential, and largely forgotten, moments in Supreme Court history.Trade Review"Explaining Furman and its implications can be tricky, but Evan Mandery… has done both with remarkable ease. Mandery knows how to tell a story, and he’s done some terrific research." -- David Oshinsky - New York Times Book Review"Important…. Remarkable." -- Andrew Cohen - The Atlantic"If someone described a book about the Supreme Court’s decisions to strike down and then reinstate the death penalty as thrilling, would you believe her? You should; that’s exactly what A Wild Justice is. Reading it, you get swept up in the details of the court cases that determined capital punishment’s upheaval and rapid resurrection over the course of two decades. This is thanks to Mandery’s skill for whittling down complex legal situations to punchy play-by-plays." -- Jen Vafidis - The Daily Beast"Mandery has managed to turn textbook-style legal history into cinematic scenes with memorable characters." -- Maurice Chammah - Austin-American Statesman"Mandery has at once written one of the very best books I have ever read not only on the Supreme Court as an institution, but also on the death penalty itself…. One keeps turning the pages in order to find out what happens next." -- Sanford Levinson - History Book Club"The fascinating story of the abolition of the death penalty—and its restoration—had found its ideal narrator in Evan Mandery. At once a page turner and a work of serious scholarship, A Wild Justice puts you inside the justices' deliberations and the advocates’ strategizing. Required reading for anyone who cares about the Supreme Court and how it shapes our lives." -- Noah Feldman, author of The Broken Constitution"With a powerful story and an exceptional cast of characters—including Arthur Goldberg, Alan Dershowitz, and Robert Bork at their best—A Wild Justice is a rare achievement. At once entertaining and deeply instructive, it is a piece of legal history that grapples brilliantly with capital punishment, one of the fundamental issues of American justice." -- Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln"A Wild Justice is sensational—a revealing and illuminating behind-the-scenes look at one of the most important chapters in the history of the Supreme Court. After reading it, you may never look at the death penalty, or the justices, the same way again." -- Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court"It takes a gifted writer to craft a thriller out of the efforts to have capital punishment declared unconstitutional, but Mandery pulls it off in this intellectual page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Outstanding in every respect." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Mandery has written a tour de force examination of how the U.S. Supreme Court from 1963 to 1977 ruled on death penalty issues…this book is revelatory. Unlike Bob Woodward’s The Brethren and Jeffrey Toobin’s The Nine, it shows how all the court players (politicians, clerks, litigants) had a part in its capital punishment decisions…. As much a sociological study as a discussion of the law, this volume is well written and illuminating." -- Library Journal (starred review)"He portrays the complex personalities behind the arguments on both sides and a court as sensitive to political tides as moral and philosophical concerns on an issue that continues to remain controversial." -- Booklist

Read more less

Book SynopsisDescribes the University of Michigan's Prison Creative Arts Project, a pioneering program that works with the incarcerated youth and adults of Michigan's juvenile facilities and prisons. Alexander recounts the genesis of this pragmatic and original system

Read more less

Book SynopsisFleury-Steiner draws on the experiences of white and black jurors in capital punishment trials to discuss the effect of race on the sentencing process in America. He shows how jurors rely on narratives that deny defendants their individuality and complexity, while reinforcing the jurors' own moral superiority.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDescribes the University of Michigan's Prison Creative Arts Project, a pioneering program that works with the incarcerated youth and adults of Michigan's juvenile facilities and prisons. Alexander recounts the genesis of this pragmatic and original system

Read more less

Book SynopsisSteven Shankman reflects on his remarkable experience teaching texts by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Vasily Grossman, and Emmanuel Levinas in prison to a mix of university students and inmates. These persecuted writers describe ethical obligation as an experience of being turned inside out by the face-to-face encounter.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Makes a convincing 'case for college in prison' ... carefully documenting the great many benefits that its graduates receive.... At the same time, remind[s] us how far our higher-education system has strayed from the humanistic ideals at the heart of the Bard prison project." * The New York Review of Books *"Karpowitz moves between scholarly examinations and novelistic narrative recreations of his classes that allow the students' voices (albeit filtered) to be heard ... These stories provide a fresh representation of the imprisoned, highlighting their heterogeneity and humanity and convincing the reader to fight against 'the well-meaning but insidious bigotry of low expectations.'" * Publishers Weekly *"[Karpowitz] shows pedagogical passion in his account of teaching (and learning from) imprisoned men and women, via discussions of Nietzsche, Crime and Punishment, James Baldwin and the US Constitution’s silence on slavery." * Times Higher Education *"A must-read for any educator or anyone interested in better understanding the transcendental power of higher education." * New York Journal of Books *"If you seek inspiration in these depressing times, if you need one iota of decency to keep you going, if you despair that Donald Trump's lack of humility will permeate every aspect of our culture, search no further. Read Daniel Karpowitz's stirring commitment to higher education in prisons." * CounterPunch *"From its first gripping anecdote to its concluding reflections about inequality, College in Prison is a compelling, deeply moving, and urgently important book. Daniel Karpowitz makes a powerful argument for real liberal education (not therapy) in prisons, and he challenges all of us who sit in elite institutions to do much more for non-elite students. In the process, he offers an unforgettable account of what a real liberal education is and how it interacts with our flawed society." -- Martha Nussbaum * Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, Univ. of Chicago, bestselling author *"Drawing on more than a decade of work with the Bard Prison Initiative, Daniel Karpowitz gives us a thoughtful and timely perspective on mass incarceration in America, and the promise of a liberal arts education for those behind bars. College in Prison should be required reading for academics and policymakers alike." -- Neera Tanden * President & CEO, Center for American Progress *"For more than a decade, incarcerated men and women—with their 'Ivory Tower' allies—have been building elite private colleges in the prison systems of New York and other states. Daniel Karpowitz details their collective struggles, and, in doing so, he rediscovers the great social promise of the liberal arts." -- Craig Steven Wilder * author of Ebony & Ivy *"The story of the Bard Prison Initiative is a symbol of hope in the era of mass incarceration. Daniel Karpowitz brings to life the men in this innovative program, who remind us how powerful education can be in our lives." -- Marc Mauer * Executive Director, The Sentencing Project and author of Race to Incarcerate *"In gripping detail, Karpowitz offers a human-driven account of efforts to reestablish higher education in America's prisons. Along the way, we're faced with the moral challenge: by what right do we restrict access to the country's best innovations to those who languish in its most barbarous?" -- Glenn E. Martin * Founder and President, Just Leadership USA *"College in Prison is a deeply thoughtful meditation on one of the most pressing issues related to the US mass incarceration crisis: the inimitable, invaluable power of higher education behind bars. Karpowitz approaches this vital subject with the sensitivity of a practitioner and the meticulous analysis of a scholar, producing a worthy study that speaks to hearts and minds both." -- Baz Dreisinger * author of Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World *"This is a book for our time. It firmly plants college access as a core aspect in the prison reform agenda and infuses that agenda with humanity and hope. Karpowitz describes the teachers and students with kindness and honesty so that we see real people struggling to breathe the life of curiosity and engagement into the soul-killing place that prison can too often be. If you care about prison reform, this book will rock you." -- Todd R. Clear * author of Imprisoning Communities *"College in Prison is an absolutely unforgettable story of how and why an ambitious program at a relatively small New York-based academic institution might hold the key to a revolutionary way of re-imagining our nation's approach to mass incarceration. Karpowitz has written a wonderfully sophisticated and moving story about his choice to devote the bulk of his adult life to a powerful project that takes prisoners and their possible futures incredibly seriously. Reading this text closely means never thinking about the implications of imprisonment quite the same way again." -- John L. Jackson, Jr. * Dean, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania *"Using his fascinating experiences with the Bard Prison Initiative, Daniel Karpowitz presents a refreshing take on pressing academic and social questions. This is an important story to tell." -- Joshua M. Price * author of Prison and Social Death *"The Bard Prison Initiative has been a rare ray of light in the darkness of mass incarceration. Karpowitz's account tells its story, and turns that light to uncovering new truths about the American prison in our time." -- Jonathan S. Simon * author of Mass Incarceration on Trial *"Total praise for College in Prison! Karpowitz provides an argument that education helps to relieve the harm caused by incarceration. This work delivers an intimate glimpse into the hearts and minds of those for whom critical thinking has become salvation." -- Vivian Nixon * Executive Director, College and Community Fellowship *"This gripping firsthand account of progressive pedagogy in prison at the height of mass incarceration by a dedicated scholar-activist and gifted educator is a truly inspiring and practical call to action to undo the brutality of our nation's lock-down." -- Philippe Bourgois * author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio *"The College that Enters Prison in Transformed" by Sonya Postentier interview with Daniel Karpowitz * Public Books *"College Campuses Should Not Be Safe Spaces," by Jonathan Zimmerman * Chronicle of Higher Education *"New Walz recruit aims to expand college in Minnesota prisons" by Stephen Montemayor http://www.startribune.com/new-walz-recruit-aims-to-expand-college-in-minnesota-prisons/514352992/ * Minneapolis Star Tribune *Table of ContentsPreface Note on Text 1Getting In: The Politics of College in Prison 2Landscapes: BPI and Mass Incarceration 3Going to Class: Reading Crime and Punishment 4The First Graduation: Figures of Speech 5Replication and Conclusions: Why and How College in Prison Index

Read more less