Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-314) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: why are we so punitive? -- Incarceration in the United States -- The punishment business -- Jails: temporary housing for the poor -- Slavery in the third millennium -- Legalized homicide: the death penalty in America -- Punishing women -- Criminalizing LGBTQ lives -- Punishing kids -- Community supervision: punishment without walls -- Is there a better way?
Summary:
"This reader-friendly exploration of the primary forces relevant to punishment--poverty and political powerlessness--highlights the necessity for humane alternatives to our current incarceration binge. This provocative overview looks at the business of punishment and at the historical patterns of control regarding slavery, the death penalty, women, the LGBTQ community, juveniles, and supervision. The United States has the world's highest rate of incarceration--a form of punishment that separates the least privileged from the rest of society, creating populations of damaged lives. All of society pays the price for overly punitive sanctions. Equal justice is not possible in an unequal society. Up-to-date statistics illustrate the race, class, and gender inequalities in the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has expanded for half a century. Will challenges to policing succeed in narrowing the net of social control? Will the cost of maintaining a massive system stimulate a transformation, or will stakeholders support minimal reforms that do not threaten their interests? The public is largely unaware of most of the workings of the criminal justice system. Through this engaging text, the authors hope to provide insights that encourage readers to examine the collateral effects of policies to address crime and the role of punishment."--Publisher's website.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.