NCJ Number
176843
Date Published
1998
Length
275 pages
Annotation
After a brief look at the use of imprisonment in the United States, this book focuses on the communications of prisoners.
Abstract
The book deals with theories and types of punishment as well as the evolution of the prison throughout the world and of the American judicial system. However, the primary focus is on the prisoners themselves, their characteristics, backgrounds and prospects for lives outside prison. The book reports on personal experiences with prisoners, amplified by reading their correspondence directed to judges, district attorneys, public defenders, prison chaplains and mental health professionals. Most of the prisoners are lonely people, punished for minor infractions, educationally limited, socially handicapped and victims of poor economic conditions and alienating prejudice. All members of society, including the prisoners themselves, must work to rectify the social and moral conditions that produce discrimination and economic and health crises. Appendixes, references, indexes