American Corrections

This comprehensive introduction to corrections presents an incisive view of every aspect of corrections prompting students to think critically about the complex issues involved in responding to the current crisis in the U.S. correctional system.

"A condensed but equally compelling version of the best-selling corrections book on the market, AMERICAN CORRECTIONS IN BRIEF, 3rd Edition, introduces you to the dynamics of corrections in a way that captures your interest and encourages you to enter the field. Complete with valuable career-based material, insightful guest speakers who share their frontline perspectives, illuminating real-world cases, and uniquely even-handed treatment of institutional and community sanctions, the text examines the U.S. correctional system from the perspectives of both the corrections worker and the offender, providing you with a well-rounded, balanced introduction to corrections"--Amazon.com

The need for corrections officers is projected to increase by 16% by 2016 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). This is great news for students completing their criminal justice or criminology degrees as there will be ample employment opportunity. Drs. DeLisi and Conis provide their unparalleled research expertise/productivity and nearly 40 years of combined criminal justice practitioner experience to make American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice, Second Edition the ideal introductory text for the corrections course. They use a straightforward writing style that is scholarly, engaging, and fun. Updated throughout, it contains both classic and cutting-edge contemporary data on correctional topics drawing from the fields of criminology, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, government, and public policy.The text is broken down into four parts, starting with an overview of corrections, including the history and also the philosophy of corrections. It progresses to discuss the management of offender risk and covers the sentencing, diversion, and pretrial treatment of offenders. Part III delves into the prison system and includes chapters on inmate behavior, prison organization, parole, and reentry of the offender in to society. This comprehensive introduction wraps up with special topics in corrections, including juveniles, women, and capital punishment and civil committment.Key Features of the Revised Second Edition:-Now available in paperback!-Revised to be more sociologically-focused, this Second Edition includes boxes throughout highlighting the effects on community.-Provides an increased focus on gender, race, and immigration issues.-Contains more content discussing the philosophy of corrections, encouraging your students to see the big-picture and think critically of the subject.-Every new copy includes an access code to the accompanying student companion website featuring a variety of interactive study aids.Exciting new content added to the Second Edition: -New section on the correctional system and American society-New section on the fiscal costs of the correctional system and ways that correctional policies can save costs while reducing crime-New section on historical developments in corrections-New section on juveniles and the life imprisonment without parole sanction-Expanded correctional case law-New section on teen courts-New section on federal pretrial services-New section on crisis intervention teams -New section on cognitive behavioral therapy -New section on mental health probation-New section on effective correctional policies-New section on back-end sentencing and parole-New section on law enforcement reentry initiatives and reentry courts-New section on Graham v. Florida (2010)-New section on juvenile drug courts-Expanded discussion on women and reentry-New discussion on clemency and elected executions -Updated box features including 13 new box features-Thoroughly updated correctional data-Thoroughly updated literature with more than 300 new references

American Corrections: Concepts and Controversies, by Barry Krisberg, Susan Marchionna, and Chris Hartney, presents an incisive view of every aspect of corrections (including jails, probation, sentencing, prisons, and parole), prompting students to think critically about the complex issues involved in responding to the current crisis in the U.S. correctional system. Incorporating theory, research, and the most recent available data, the book takes a contemporary and issues-oriented approach as it explores the most interesting and progressive developments in correctional policy and practice. Students will come away with practical knowledge, as well as a framework for thoughtful analysis of a subject that can seem mysterious or impenetrable. In addition, the book covers subjects many corrections texts treat only minimally, including women in corrections, the death penalty, and special populations. Perhaps most importantly, the book offers a point of view on what is plaguing the American correctional system and a realistic look at the solutions that offer real promise.

American Corrections, Second Edition offers you a contemporary, issues-oriented introduction that covers every aspect of corrections, prompting you to think critically about complex issues that are affecting the current U.S. correctional system. Incorporating the most recent theory, research, and data available, the Second Edition encourages you to explore the most interesting and progressive developments in correctional policy and practice. Authors Barry A. Krisberg, Susan Marchionna, and Christopher J. Hartney draw from years of professional experience to give you a practical knowledge of corrections, as well as provide a framework for thoughtful analysis into what is plaguing the American correctional system and a realistic exploration of the solutions that could make a difference. New to the Second Edition: Up-to-date coverage of today’s key issues reflects the latest developments in corrections, including the fiscal impact of corrections, reforms in corrections, and an expanded use of alternatives to incarceration. Debates around the effectiveness of corrections encourage you to think critically about probation, problem-solving courts, split sentences and flash incarceration, new recidivism studies, rates of racial and ethnic disparity in adult and juvenile corrections, and overrepresentation of youth of color in prisons. Recent trends are discussed to give you a clearer picture of how the correctional system has transformed over the years, including the decline in the practice of incarcerating juveniles in large prisons, the rising incarceration rate for women, the treatment of mentally ill inmates, the increase of private prisons, and more. Incisive exploration of policies proposed by the Trump administration shows you how the current administration’s approach differs from Obama-era sentencing reforms and encourages students to think critically about the potent impacts on the correctional system. New Spotlight boxes introduce you to key issues such as immigration and detention and the opioid addiction epidemic. Updated references, statistics, court rulings, and data help you understand the latest trends in correctional practices.

An enraging, necessary look at the private prison system, and a convincing clarion call for prison reform.” —NPR.org New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018 * One of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2018 * Winner of the 2019 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize * Winner of the Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism * Winner of the 2019 RFK Book and Journalism Award * A New York Times Notable Book A ground-breaking and brave inside reckoning with the nexus of prison and profit in America: in one Louisiana prison and over the course of our country's history. In 2014, Shane Bauer was hired for $9 an hour to work as an entry-level prison guard at a private prison in Winnfield, Louisiana. An award-winning investigative journalist, he used his real name; there was no meaningful background check. Four months later, his employment came to an abrupt end. But he had seen enough, and in short order he wrote an exposé about his experiences that won a National Magazine Award and became the most-read feature in the history of the magazine Mother Jones. Still, there was much more that he needed to say. In American Prison, Bauer weaves a much deeper reckoning with his experiences together with a thoroughly researched history of for-profit prisons in America from their origins in the decades before the Civil War. For, as he soon realized, we can't understand the cruelty of our current system and its place in the larger story of mass incarceration without understanding where it came from. Private prisons became entrenched in the South as part of a systemic effort to keep the African-American labor force in place in the aftermath of slavery, and the echoes of these shameful origins are with us still. The private prison system is deliberately unaccountable to public scrutiny. Private prisons are not incentivized to tend to the health of their inmates, or to feed them well, or to attract and retain a highly-trained prison staff. Though Bauer befriends some of his colleagues and sympathizes with their plight, the chronic dysfunction of their lives only adds to the prison's sense of chaos. To his horror, Bauer finds himself becoming crueler and more aggressive the longer he works in the prison, and he is far from alone. A blistering indictment of the private prison system, and the powerful forces that drive it, American Prison is a necessary human document about the true face of justice in America.

Examines the history of prisons in the United States with articles about convict labor, escapes, famous and infamous wardens, fires, notable prisoners, riots, prison society, reformers, terminology, and more.