Tracing both the history of the prison and the very idea of imprisonment in the United States, this book provides a critical overview of American prisons and considers their past, their present and directions for the future.

Through personal essays, poems, stories, reports, and manifestos, this offers an unprecedented view of the realities of women's experiences as they try to sustain relations with children and family on the outside, struggle for healthcare, fight to define and achieve basic rights, deal with irrational sentencing systems, remake life after prison; and more.

Examines the issues surrounding imprisonment from a variety of international perspectives. The purpose of imprisonment -- Sentencing and imprisonment -- Prison conditions -- Political prisoners

Aims to provide a critical overview of penal institutions within a historical and contemporary framework. Issues of race, gender, and class are fully integrated throughout in order to demonstrate the complexity of the implementation and intended results of incarceration. The Encyclopedia contains biographies, articles describing important legal statutes, and detailed and authoritative descriptions of the major prisons in the United States.

A powerful document of the inner lives and creative visions of men and women rendered invisible by America’s prison system.

An analysis of the forces that have shaped America. First-person narratives, photos, film footage, and documents reveal the human side of American history -- how historical figures affected events, and the impact of these events on citizens' lives. The Industrial Revolution has its dark side, and the tumultuous events of the period touch off intense and often thrilling reform movement.

See how the philosophy and architecture of today's American prisons emerged.