Prisoners on Criminology: Convict Life Stories and Crime Prevention

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Drawing on thirty years of prison college courses and volunteer classes in eleven Michigan and California prisons, Prisoners on Criminology: Convict Life Stories and Crime Prevention makes criminology theories come alive through the use of the prisoners voices. The book features policy background and textbook-like chapters that review major criminological theories and present prisoner essays that apply criminology insights to the prisoners lives. Each chapter has helpful exercises and discussion and review questions for classroom use. Introductory informational chapters present an historical review of how the United States came to have the worlds largest prison system. A chapter on prisoners educational background presents information from prisoner surveys and the authors extensive background in postsecondary correctional education. Over eighty prisoner essays show how prisoners connect criminology theories to their lives growing up, with insights on individual, family, and community levels of crime causation. A chapter on social structure, social process and alternative criminologies is followed by additional information on in-prison criminological issues with several prisoner essays. The conclusion emphasizes the main argument of the bookthat the jobless ghetto is a major reason for much of the criminality now in the large correctional apparatus of the United States. Prisoners on Criminology will be of great value to scholars and students interested in criminology, social deviance, sociology, urban studies, political science, anthropology, counseling, and social work.

Reviews

Tregea has written a refreshing and classroom-friendly book. It links convicts lives to criminological theory, highlights the implications of theory for prevention, and incites readers to become active in dealing with social problems. . . .Tregea has been teaching in prison for more than 30 years, and his deep knowledge of both prisoners and education comes though. . . .For students, Prisoners on Criminology could be an eye-opening look into the real lives of criminals and the criminological questions raised by concentrated disadvantage. * Critical Criminology *
Prisoners on Criminology features prisoner essays that link criminological theories with individual, family, community, political, and economic influences on crime. William S. Tregea, a veteran prison teacher and contributor to the field of convict criminology, offers an especially good criminology teaching text. He brings current information on state policies to this book, as well as current criminological research and scholarship on U.S. prisons. -- Jeffrey Ian Ross, PhD, professor, University of Baltimore
Prisoners on Criminology provides a unique approach to studying theories of crime. The prisoners' narratives bring well-known explanations to life and provide insight and context. -- Michael D. Reisig, Arizona State University

Author Bio

William S. Tregea is professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at Adrian College.