The Modern Prison Paradox: Politics, Punishment, and Social Community - Hardcover

Lerman, Amy E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107041457 ISBN 13: 9781107041455

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2013

Synopsis

In The Modern Prison Paradox, Amy E. Lerman examines the shift from rehabilitation to punitivism that has taken place in the politics and practice of American corrections. She argues that this punitive turn has had profoundly negative consequences for both crime control and American community life. Professor Lerman's research shows that spending time in America's increasingly violent and castigatory prisons strengthens inmates' criminal networks and fosters attitudes that increase the likelihood of criminal activity following parole. Additionally, Professor Lerman assesses whether America's more punitive prisons similarly shape the social attitudes and behaviors of correctional staff. Her analysis reveals that working in more punitive prisons causes correctional officers to develop an "us against them" mentality while on the job, and that the stress and wariness officers acquire at work carries over into their personal lives, straining relationships with partners, children, and friends.

About this title

About the Author:

Amy E. Lerman is Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. She has served as Vice President of Policy Studies for the political consulting firm Attention America, worked as a freelance speechwriter for members of the US Congress, and been a research consultant of the Prison University Project and faculty of the college program at San Quentin State Prison.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1107041457
• ISBN 13: 9781107041455
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 308