The encyclopedia of American prisons /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Sifakis, Carl.
Imprint:New York : Facts on File, c2003.
Description:xiv, 320 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
Language:English
Series:Facts on File crime library
Subject:Prisons -- United States -- Encyclopedias.
Prisoners -- United States -- Biography -- Encyclopedias.
Correctional personnel -- United States -- Biography -- Encyclopedias.
Correctional personnel.
Prisoners.
Prisons.
United States.
Encyclopedias.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/4830225
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:American prisons
ISBN:0816045119 (acid-free paper)
0816050724 (pbk. : acid-free paper)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (p. 303-304) and index.

The United States currently holds the highest incarceration rate per capita of all Western nations. There are more than 2 million men and women incarcerated in the U.S., and more than 1,500 others are being locked up weekly. Prisons are such a fundamental part of criminal justice today that it is hard to imagine our society without them. The Encyclopedia of American Prisons is a comprehensive reference work covering the full gamut of the American penal system. From the early Pennsylvania and Auburn models, both of which drove many prisoners mad, to later attempts at correctional improvement through the so-called Elmira reformatory system, to limited contemporary efforts to privatize prisons, this book examines the entire history of prisons in America. Entries cover convict labor, escapes, famous and infamous wardens, fires, notable prisoners, prisons, prison riots, prison society, scandals and triumphs, reformers, terminology, and much more. The Encyclopedia of American Prisons also explores key social issues connected to prisons such as overcrowding, mistreatment of prisoners, and the cost of maintaining prison programs. Coverage includes: Abuse and torture in prison Alcatraz James V. Bennett David Berkowitz (a.k.a. Son of Sam) Capital punishmentDisease in prison Dorothea Dix Good-time credits Juvenile delinquency Mentally ill inmates and ex-inmates Ed Morell, tortured convict and reformer Prison guardsPrison labor Punishments and prisons in colonial America Recidivism Women's prisons. Excerpted from The Encyclopedia of American Prisons by Carl Sifakis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.