Unusually Cruel

The United States incarcerates far more people than any other country in the world, at rates nearly ten times higher than other liberal democracies. Indeed, while the U.S. is home to 5 percent of the world's population, it contains nearly 25 percent of its prisoners. But the extent of American cruelty goes beyond simply locking people up. At every stage of the criminal justice process - plea bargaining, sentencing, prison conditions, rehabilitation, parole, and societal reentry - the U.S. is harsher and more punitive than other comparable countries. In Unusually Cruel, Marc Morjé Howard argues that the American criminal justice and prison systems are exceptional - in a truly shameful way. Although other scholars have focused on the internal dynamics that have produced this massive carceral system, Howard provides the first sustained comparative analysis that shows just how far the U.S. lies outside the norm of established democracies. And, by highlighting how other countries successfully apply less punitive and more productive policies, he provides plausible solutions to addressing America's criminal justice quagmire.

The United States incarcerates far more people than any other country in the world, at rates 7-10 times higher than other liberal democracies. Indeed, while the US holds only about 5 percent of the world's population, it contains nearly 25 percent of its prisoners. At every stage of thecriminal justice process - including plea bargaining, sentencing, prison conditions, rehabilitation, parole, and societal reentry - the US has harsher and more punitive practices than other comparable countries. Media headlines allude to the "radically humane" prisons of Europe, sometimes presentingthem as too soft on crime. But when lower rates of incarceration and better prison conditions often correlate with lower costs, increased public safety, and more successful rehabilitation, why do prisons in the US remain so punitive?In Unusually Cruel, Marc Morje Howard argues that the United States' prison system is exceptional - in a truly shameful way. Although other scholars have focused on the internal dynamics that have produced this massive carceral system, Howard provides the first sustained comparative analysis thatshows just how far the US prison system lies outside of the norm of established democracies. The book compares the US to other advanced industrialized democracies, with particular focus on the three comparative cases of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.Although Unusually Cruel paints a grim picture of the American system, it also provides a hopeful message. Howard identifies practical and proven solutions from other countries that are less punitive and more productive, as well as models that could help the US get out of its criminal justicequagmire.

A "fascinating and provocative" story (The Washington Post) of high stakes competition between two titans that shows how the electric chair developed through an effort by one nineteenth-century electric company to discredit the other. In 1882, Thomas Edison ushered in the “age of electricity” when he illuminated Manhattan’s Pearl Street with his direct current (DC) system. Six years later, George Westinghouse lit up Buffalo with his less expensive alternating current (AC). The two men quickly became locked in a fierce rivalry, made all the more complicated by a novel new application for their product: the electric chair. When Edison set out to persuade the state of New York to use Westinghouse’s current to execute condemned criminals, Westinghouse fought back in court, attempting to stop the first electrocution and keep AC from becoming the “executioner’s current.” In this meticulously researched account of the ensuing legal battle and the horribly botched first execution, Moran raises disturbing questions not only about electrocution, but about about our society’s tendency to rely on new technologies to answer moral questions.

This revised edition of a perennial bestseller, with more than 50 percent new material, is a much-needed overview of a hotly debated topic. Capital Punishment focuses on the use of the death penalty in the United States, its international status, and how foreign developments affect the country. It includes a history, a discussion of the controversies surrounding the death penalty, updated biographical sketches, and statistics. Key documents include the U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming capital punishment, a key dissent, Charles Dickens' 19th century view of the guillotine, and various papal and European Union decrees. It also includes a chronology, organizations, websites with further information, and an annotated bibliography. In this updated survey, a thorough overview of capital punishment, author Michael Kronenwetter reveals interesting facts, for example, under Roman law, death was the penalty for publishing "insulting songs" and disturbing the city's peace.

This updated third edition of Legal Aspects of Corrections Management provides a current, informative, and reader-friendly discussion of the contemporary legal issues impacting corrections management. Through the use of case law, this text provides readers with a practical understanding of how the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments relate to the day-to-day issues of running a prison, jail, and other corrections programs, such as probation and parole. The authors' combined corrections experience included such positions as General Counsel, Regional Counsel, and Correctional Program Officer, as well as working within corrections facilities. Their work involved advising corrections staff and management on the legal issues associated with policies and procedures. The authors also have extensive teaching experience in corrections law, the criminal justice system, and criminology. The benefits of such experiences are reflected in the comprehensive coverage of topics in this accessible and updated Third Edition. New to the Third Edition: -Cases and statistical information have been thoroughly updated. -Contains many new photos and figures throughout -New sections include: *Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) *Double Jeopardy *DNA Collection *Searches of Non-Inmates *Legal Challenges to the Method of Execution *Standards of Employee Conduct *Fair Labor Standards Act *Portal-to-Portal Act *Title VII and Inmate-Created Hostile Work Environment *The Americans with Disabilities Act *Death Penalty for Juvenile Offenders Key Features: -Includes engaging real-world examples of common problems and occurrences in corrections to provide students and practitioners with a good understanding of the legal aspects of corrections management. -Provides insight into the legal steps that should be anticipated in a correctional lawsuit. -Provides an accessible and easy-to-understand collection of Supreme Court and significant lower court rulings on key issues in corrections. With the focus on Supreme Court cases, the text has applicability nationwide. -Focuses on constitutional issues affecting such areas as inmate correspondence, visiting, and religion (First Amendment); search and seizure, privacy (Fourth Amendment); due process (Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments); equal protection (Fourteenth Amendment); and the death penalty, conditions of confinement (cruel and unusual punishment), and health care (Eighth Amendment). -Includes coverage of statutory and administrative law, as well as chapters on probation and parole, jails, juveniles, privatization, and the loss of rights of convicted persons. -Includes examples of relevant documents, such as a civil complaint; a sample presentence investigation report; a listing of inmate rights and responsibilities; of misconduct charges; and of mission statements for departments of corrections.

R. C. van Caenegem considers the historical reasons behind European legal diversity.