American Corrections in Brief - Softcover

Clear, Todd R.; Cole, George F.; Reisig, Michael D.; Petrosino, Carolyn

3.95

20 ratings by Goodreads

9780495808657: American Corrections in Brief

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0495808652 ISBN 13: 9780495808657

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing, 2011

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A condensed, accessible version of the bestselling corrections book on the market, AMERICAN CORRECTIONS IN BRIEF, 1st Edition introduces students to the dynamics of corrections in a way that captures their interest and encourages them to enter the field. The brief paperback nature of this book makes it more approachable, and the well-respected author team has added several key pedagogical elements to help ensure students success. Complete with valuable career-based material, insightful guest speakers, illuminating real-world cases, and uniquely even-handed treatment of institutional and community sanctions, the text examines the U.S. correctional system from the perspectives of both the corrections worker and the offender, providing students with a well-rounded, balanced introduction to corrections.

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About the Author:

Todd R. Clear is the Provost at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. He is currently involved in studies of religion and crime, the criminological implications of "place," and the concept of "community justice." He serves as founding editor of the journal Criminology and Public Policy. Previous writing covers the topics of correctional classification, prediction methods in correctional programming, community-based correctional methods, intermediate sanctions, and sentencing policy. Clear has been elected to national office in the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He has served as a programming and policy consultant to public agencies in over 40 states and five nations, and his work has been recognized through several awards, including those of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, The Rockefeller School of Public Policy, the American Probation and Parole Association, and the International Community Corrections Association. Clear is the author of three books on community justice: COMMUNITY JUSTICE (Cengage Learning), WHAT IS COMMUNITY JUSTICE? (Sage), and THE COMMUNITY JUSTICE IDEAL (Westview). He is also author of IMPRISONING COMMUNITIES: HOW MASS INCARCERATION MAKES DISADVANTAGED PLACES WORSE (Oxford University Press).

Review:

Clear's new edition takes a fundamentally sound treatment of corrections, and places it in a contemporary environment of technological advancement and fiscal austerity. The text does an admirable job of balancing the often-conflicting issues of public safety and human punishment. Features of the text permit the students to explore careers in corrections, and read about people working in corrections. An important feature of the text is that it permits students to be placed in ethical dilemmas in deciding what is the "right thing to do."

"This textbook presents the major concepts, themes, and controversies facing the U.S. correctional system in a way that many undergraduates will find appealing. The breadth of coverage for the number of pages in the chapters is praiseworthy. This book provides students with a basic grounding in corrections while also offering thought-provoking glimpses into the real-world application of justice in a correctional context."

"The book offers a practical, comprehensive and broad-based examination of corrections. The writing style is clear and concise. The text is poised to be one of the best on the market."

"Overall, the book is extremely well-written and informative. This approach is appealing to me. I like how the chapters are structured, with comprehensive, up-to-date information provided. The material included in each chapter is generally the information I would have chosen to include on the topic. New areas, such as the use of evidence-based probation supervision, are included, which is a departure from a lot of the standard texts which do not depart from material previously covered. Information is provided on many individual states, which is extremely important to compare and contrast, in my opinion. As a Californian, I was happy to see the most recent corrections crises presented correctly."

"The approach's strength lies in the organization of each chapter and the connections the author makes between the historical uses of correctional techniques and their contemporary application. Clear believes that we have outlived the days when we were not actually sure if mass-incarceration was effective as crime control. Now we know it is not. Yet, along with our 40-year incarceration binge, there has also been a decreasing crime rate, giving the proponents of our current policy fuel to continue it. Clear is aware of the balancing act researchers must execute as they present and interpret the findings of contemporary studies. He presents the relevant arguments in a fair and balanced manner."

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