Contemporary Prison: 1965-Present (From Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society, P 227- 259, 1995, Norval Morris and David J Rothman, eds. -- See NCJ- 167509)

• NCJ Number: 167517
• Author(s): N Morris
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 33 pages
• Sale Source: Oxford University Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Contemporary prisons in the United States vary widely, but many have become overcrowded and the typical prison is characterized by an unchanging daily routine.

Abstract

Between 1970 and 1980, the population of U.S. prisons doubled; between 1981 and 1995, this population more than doubled again. The result has been a prison overcrowding crisis, and changes in sentencing and release procedures and in correctional accreditation procedures have contributed to prison overcrowding. The architecture of State and Federal prisons varies greatly, with prisoners are classified according to the crime committed and minority prisoners differentially represented in the prison population. Vocational, educational, and other prison programs are available to prisoners, but discipline and punishment still characterize the prison environment. Trends in the prison system are reviewed that pertain to improvements in health care, prison privatization, intermediate punishments, and the politics of imprisonment. References and photographs