Corrections: A Critical Approach

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0070691819 ISBN 13: 9780070691810

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 1995

Welch's CORRECTIONS is the only text to take a critical approach to the field of corrections. This unique and refreshing text encourages students to think analytically about punishment. By establishing a greater social context, corrections is presented against the backdrop of social forces -- namely, political economic, religious, and technological forces that affect the corrections system. Students gain an understanding of the corrections system through the authors critical and issues-oriented presentation of materials. The book consistently introduces clear, meaningful, and exciting examples illustrating various issues and concepts.

About the Author:

Michael Welch received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Texas, Denton and is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He has correctional experience at the federal, state, and local levels. His research interests include punishment and social control, and he has published numerous articles for academic journals, edited volumes, and other scholarly publications. His writings have appeared such journals as Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, The Prison Journal, Crime, Law & Social Change, Social Justice, Youth & Society, Race, Gender & Class, Critical Criminology: An International Journal, Contemporary Justice Review, American Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Women & Criminal Justice, Journal of Sport & Social Issues, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Journal of Crime & Justice, Addictive Behaviors: An International Journal, Dialectical Anthropology, Journal of Offender Counseling, Services & Rehabilitation, Social Pathology, Crisis Intervention & Time-Limited Treatment, Federal Probation: Journal of Correctional Philosophy & Practice, and The Justice Professional. Also he is author of Detained: Immigration Laws and the Expanding I.N.S. Jail Complex (2002, Temple University Press), Flag Burning: Moral Panic and the Criminalization of Protest (2000, de Gruyter), Punishment in America: Social Control & the Ironies of Imprisonment (1999, Sage). He serves as Co-Editor for Social Pathology. The author invites you to visit his website www.professormichaelwelch.com

Review:

'I would be hard-pressed to identify another corrections textbook that I would seriously consider adopting over this one. The updated material is welcomed. The strength of the book remains, however, its critical approach to corrections and the attention it gives to history, ideology, and the ways in which social forces influence punishment.' - Jeanne Flavin, Fordham University 'In Corrections: A Critical Approach, Michael Welch overcomes the limitations of traditional analyses of the correctional field through his unique use of what he calls a critical approach ... All considered, the coverage throughout the book is broad ranging and well rounded. In short Welch's book on corrections is one of the best I have seen.' - Professor Michael J. Lynch, University of South Florida. Quoted in Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice "Michael Welch in Corrections: A Critical Approach makes some very valuable contributions to our understanding of corrections. The work hopes to offer, and I believe it does so, a critical thinking exercise that draws attention to the comparative nature of corrections, work in the field of corrections, and cultural penology. The basic premise is that we cannot accept the correctional system on its face value because the system is too crowded, too violent, and too expensive to ignore, especially if there are alternatives that are equally effective."-Dr Edward Sieh, Lasell College