Encyclopedia of American Prisons (Garland Studies in the History of American Labor) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815313500 ISBN 13: 9780815313502

Publisher: Garland Publishing, 1996

Synopsis

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

About this title

From Booklist:

The incarceration rate in the U.S. is now among the highest in the world, and crime remains a major social and political issue facing our nation. Information about penal institutions, imprisonment, and prisoners is critical to criminal justice professionals and concerned citizens alike. The Encyclopedia of American Prisons offers an overview of incarceration in America in more than 160 essays written by a variety of corrections experts, largely from the academic and research community.

The volume opens with a very brief "Chronology of American Prison History" from 1773 to 1993, followed by the signed articles, arranged alphabetically by topic. An index provides additional access to topics, cases, and individual names. Although organization and treatment of the topics within each essay vary, most articles contain some type of historical discussion to frame the issue, explanations of important developments and trends within the topic, and a bibliography for further reading. From the brief essay Riots, for example, the reader gains a sense of the causes and costs of prison riots since the first in 1774 and is left with some direction for further research. Biographies of significant individuals in prison history, such as penal reformer Katharine Bement Davis, are included, as are histories of famous prisons (Alcatraz) and extended explanations of selected terms encountered in prison studies, such as snitch (an informer). Current concerns, such as Crowding and Elderly Inmates, are treated.

Relevant statistics about prisons and imprisonment are frequently embedded within articles. Diet and Food Service provides the average daily food cost nationally ($3.13 per day per prisoner). However, the encyclopedia is not designed to serve primarily as a statistical compendium, which occasionally results in some disappointment. For example, a user seeking recidivism rates will find an interesting and thoughtful article that details the issues considered in calculating recidivism rates, but for actual data users will need to consult publications produced by individual states or by such organizations as the American Correctional Association.

The Encyclopedia of American Prisons is recommended for medium-size and large academic and public libraries and is a necessary purchase for collections serving students of law enforcement, criminal justice, or sociology.

From Library Journal:

Many Americans believe more and longer incarceration is the answer to exploding crime, yet they know little about prisons except what they learn from movies and sensationalized press accounts. This encyclopedia is therefore welcome as an objective, reliable, and authoritative source of current information about U.S. penal institutions. Prepared by academics and aimed at serious students, it contains more than 150 signed articles covering prison history, operations, problems, and social and legal issues. On the negative side, the writing tends to be textbookish, recent trends are occasionally ignored (as in the article "Chain Gangs"), and the index lacks consistency (e.g., check out Leavenworth). But, overall, this new work compares well with Vergil Williams's standard Dictionary of American Penology (Greenwood, 1987. 2d ed.). Enthusiastically recommended for larger reference collections.?Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Garland Publishing
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0815313500
• ISBN 13: 9780815313502
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 558
• Editor: Marilyn D. McShane, Franklin P. Williams III