Prisons in America: A Reference Handbook

Debra Stanley; Nicole Hahn Rafter

ISBN 10: 1576071022 ISBN 13: 9781576071021

Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 1999

Synopsis

A handy source for basic statistics on prisoners, penal trends, and programs and services in America's prisons.

Prisons in America covers such important subjects as punishment in the United States since colonial times; the most critical penal problems today; units for special populations; key penologists, and more. This work is a source for basic statistics on prisoners, penal trends, programs, services, and more. Listings of professional organizations and print and nonprint resources are also included.

About this title

About the Author

Nicole Hahn Rafter is a professional writer and chair of the Division on Women and Crime of the American Society of Criminology. She is also chair of the Crime, Law, and Deviance section of the American Sociological Association.

Debra L. Stanley is assistant professor at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT.

Reviews

Rafter (chair of the Crime, Law and Deviance Section of the American Sociological Assn.) and Stanley (Central Connecticut State Univ.) have compiled this volume as part of the "Contemporary World Issues" series. As such, it is a concise reference, gathering information currently spread out through numerous standard references and other books on the subject. Since it repeats so much information, the bulk of the volume will appear old hat to many users. However, there are some highlights. The first chapter, "History of American Prisons," is followed by an apparently original section titled "Issues and Controversies" that discusses pertinent issues like prisoners' rights, equality for women prisoners, prison violence, and healthcare. The remainder of the volume includes a chronology of major events in U.S. prison history, bibliographic sketches, and an extensive list of sources. While it will probably not be useful for extensive criminal justice collections, this volume will be of interest to readers who are unfamiliar with prison literature or who want an overview of the subject.AFrances O. Sandiford, Green Haven Correction Facility Lib., Stormville, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: ABC-CLIO
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1576071022
• ISBN 13: 9781576071021
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 226