Description
Book SynopsisIn America today, one in every hundred adults is behind bars. As our prison population has exploded, ''law and order'' interest groups have also grown -- in numbers and political clout. In The Toughest Beat, Joshua Page argues in crisp, vivid prose that the Golden State''s prison boom fueled the rise of one of the most politically potent and feared interest groups in the nation: the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA). As it made great strides for its members, the prison officers'' union also fundamentally altered the composition and orientation of the penal field. The Toughest Beat is essential reading for anyone concerned with contemporary crime and punishment, interest group politics, and public sector labor unions.
Trade ReviewPage is even-handed in his analysis...The Toughest Beat makes for fascinating reading. * Sacramento News and Review *
By linking the penal field to politics, The Toughest Beat joins an emerging literature on the politics of punishing...Page advances this literature by developing a mechanism to trace the interaction of effects of key relationships on penal outcomes. It will certainly influence the direction of future research as scholars try to apply this concept to other times and spaces. * The American Journal of Sociology *
It is refreshing to read an account of prison life and policy that so effectively combines political analysis with sociological research. The Toughest Beat is original, influential and makes a significant contribution to penology, political economy/sociology, criminology and social science more broadly. * Contemporary Sociology *
Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Key Dates ; 1. Welcome to the "Toughest Beat" ; 2. The Birth of the "Correctional Officer" and His Union ; 3. A Politically Realistic Union ; 4. Power by Proxy: The Strategic Alliance Between Prison Officers and Crime Victims ; 5. Three Strikes and the Anchor of Punitive Segregation ; 6. Monopolizing the Beat: The Fight against Prison Privatization ; 7. Who Rules the Beat? The Battle over Managerial Rights ; 8. Changing of the Guard: A New Direction for the CCPOA and California? ; Methodological Appendix ; Selected Bibliography
