NCJ Number
177692
Date Published
1998
Length
427 pages
Annotation
The author believes imprisonment, as the mainstay of punishment, is an anachronistic and probably counterproductive system for dealing with rising crime rates.
Abstract
Arguing that inherent flaws in the institution of prison threaten democratic values and fail to meet the needs of modern society, the author makes a powerful case for implementing radical change. She discusses the evolution of imprisonment and explores how different areas of the world approach and use incarceration as a punitive measure. She also looks at life in prison across regions and cultural traditions and describes the personal and disturbing experiences of prisoners and the treatment of minorities, women, and juveniles. According to the author, prison is a deformed society and a place of violence, corruption, and gross human rights abuses. She considers efforts being made around the world to improve prisons and mitigate their inherent destructiveness, and advocates searching for a better solution to control crime in an increasingly divided and dangerous society. Instead of locking up more people, the author calls for a practical and positive system that reconciles and heals the breaches caused by crime. Specifically, she recommends that more resources be diverted from imprisonment to preventing violence, helping disturbed families, providing more educational opportunities, supporting children who will become the next generation of prisoners, and creating new alternatives that involve the public for mediating and resolving conflict. Notes