American Prisons and Jails: An Encyclopedia of Controversies and Trends [2 volumes]

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Description

This two-volume encyclopedia provides a comprehensive and authoritative examination of the history and current character of American prisons and jails and their place in the U.S. corrections system. This encyclopedia provides a rigorous and comprehensive summary of correctional systems and practices and their evolution throughout US history. Topics include sentencing norms and contemporary developments; differences between local jails and prisons and regional, state, and federal systems; violent and nonviolent inmate populations; operations of state and federal prisons, including well-known prisons such as ADX-Florence, Alcatrez, Attica, Leavenworth, and San Quentin; privately run, for-profit prisons as well as the companies that run them; inmate culture, including prisoner-generated social hierarchies, prisoner slang, gangs, drug use, and violence; prison trends and statistics, including racial, ethnic, age, gender, and educational breakdowns; the death penalty; and post-incarceration outcomes, including recidivism. The set showcases contributions from some of the leading scholars in the fields of correctional systems and practices and will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about American prisons, jails, and community corrections.

Reviews

There is a great need for trustworthy material such as this given the human and financial resources devoted to penitentiaries and the thousands of lives they affect on a daily basis. A strong starting point for researchers and readers. * Library Journal *
This two-volume set covers a wide assortment of topics the collection provides a respectable array of topics largely related American to prison and jails in one convenient set. * ARBA *
Though focusing on the US, the encyclopedia also includes a handful of entries on prisons in other countries (China, England, Peru). This set serves as a good introduction to prisons and jails. * Choice *
article-specific bibliographies aid readers whose curiosity extends beyond prisons' locked gates. * Booklist *

Author Bio

Vidisha Barua Worley, PhD, Esquire, is associate professor of criminal justice at Lamar University and a founding member of the Institute for Legal Studies in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. Robert M. Worley, PhD, is associate professor of criminal justice and director of criminal justice programs at Lamar University and a member of the Institute for Legal Studies in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University.