America's Correctional Crisis: Prison Populations and Public Policy
By (Author) Stephen D. Gottfredson
By (author) Sean Mcconville
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Praeger Publishers Inc
23rd June 1987
United States
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Social and cultural history
365.6
Hardback
266
These essays treat the legal, financial, ethical, political, institutional, and social dimensions of the most important element of America's correctional crisis: prison overcrowding. The collection may become a standard work in the field, especially for those who question the feasibility and wisdom of building more prisons. The need for rational policy-making that links prison sentences with available prison space comes through clearly and forcefully. Chapters by well-known authorities describe the extent of overcrowding in prisons and jails, review current law regarding the constituitonality of overcrowded prison facilities, and summarize research on causes and consequences. . . . Highly recommended. Choice Because of the recent explosion in the American prison population, which has risen more than 40 percent in just six years, overcrowding has reached crisis proportions and conditions within prisons continue to deteriorate. This book takes a close look at the policy implications of that crisis, addressing constitutional issues, economic and political questions, and a wide range of possible long- and short-term solutions. Written by some of the most experienced academics and consultants now working the field, it provides a theoretical orientation and up-to-date factual background for each of the issues and practical policy alternatives that are studied.
These essays treat the legal, financial, ethical, political, institutional, and social dimensions of the most important element of America's correctional crisis: prison overcrowding. The collection may become a standard work in the field, especially for those who question the feasibility and wisdom of building more prisons. The need for rational policy-making that links prison sentences with available prison space comes through clearly and forcefully. Chapters by well-known authorities describe the extent of overcrowding in prisons and jails, review current law regarding the constituitonality of overcrowded prison facilities, and summarize research on causes and consequences. Essays also explore the costs of building prisons, discuss various state responses to overcrowding, and argue for innovative policies, such as privately run pretrial detention centers. The volume contains a useful bibliographic essay. Graduate students and faculty should find the essays extremely helpful.... Highly recommended for library collections in criminal justice, public policy, and sociology.-Choice
"These essays treat the legal, financial, ethical, political, institutional, and social dimensions of the most important element of America's correctional crisis: prison overcrowding. The collection may become a standard work in the field, especially for those who question the feasibility and wisdom of building more prisons. The need for rational policy-making that links prison sentences with available prison space comes through clearly and forcefully. Chapters by well-known authorities describe the extent of overcrowding in prisons and jails, review current law regarding the constituitonality of overcrowded prison facilities, and summarize research on causes and consequences. Essays also explore the costs of building prisons, discuss various state responses to overcrowding, and argue for innovative policies, such as privately run pretrial detention centers. The volume contains a useful bibliographic essay. Graduate students and faculty should find the essays extremely helpful.... Highly recommended for library collections in criminal justice, public policy, and sociology."-Choice
STEPHEN D. GOTTFREDSON, is Executive Director of the Maryland Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and Associate Professor at Temple University. SEAN McCONVELLE is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago.