A country called prison: mass incarceration and the making of a new nation PDF
Preview A country called prison: mass incarceration and the making of a new nation
A Country Called Prison A Country Called Prison Mass Incarceration and the Making of a New Nation Mary D. Looman John D. Carl 1 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mary D. Looman A Country Called Prison : Mass Incarceration and the Making of a New Nation / Mary D. Looman, John D. Carl. pages cm ISBN 978–0–19–021103–5 (hardback) 1. Imprisonment—United States—History. 2. Prisons—United States— History. 3. Prisoners—United States—History. I. Carl, John D. II. Title. HV9466.L66 2015 365′.973—dc23 2014039670 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper In memory of my brothers—Nick & Jim Schuman. If only I knew then what I know now. Your loving sister, Mary Dale To my loving wife, Keven, who shows her inner strength every day. Love, John CONTENTS Preface ix Acknowledgments xxi Chapter 1 Introduction to the Country Called Prison 1 Chapter 2 What Makes Prisons a Country? 21 Chapter 3 Who Are the People of the Country Called Prison? 55 Chapter 4 Living in the Country Called Prison 93 Chapter 5 Visiting America from the Country Called Prison 131 Chapter 6 Emigrating from the Country Called Prison 159 Chapter 7 Assimilating the Country Called Prison 191 Appendix: Summary of Proposals 199 Bibliography 209 Index 219 PREFACE Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy The first thing that you need to know is that this book is about change—big change. We have studied and taught about crime, criminology, and criminal justice for years. We have also worked in the industry. Mary, in particular, has more than 30 years of experience in the criminal justice system. She has been a prison psychologist for many years and is a college professor; John is a college professor but always a social worker and sociologist. We look at the reality of the criminal justice system through our respective backgrounds. This book is the result of years of study, thought, and concern for the current state of America as well as its citizens: not just the citizens who have been caught committing a criminal act but also those who have broken the law and not been caught. We believe that the United States has unintentionally built a country within its own borders, a country we call “Prison.” Prisons are found far and wide. And for the most part they are filled with people who have broken the law. No one denies this fact. Most of us have broken the law at some point in our lives, even if it is just driving at an excessive speed. Frequently the difference between criminals and noncriminals is the act of getting caught. We know many noncriminals who have done the same thing as criminals but who have not been caught, and no one is the wiser.
The list of books you might like
