NCJ Number
231158
Journal
Punishment and Society Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2010 Pages: 209-215
Date Published
April 2010
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The works discussed here represent a substantial advance; Todd Clear's "Imprisoning Copmmunities,"Bruce Western's "Punishment and Inequality," and Devah Pager's "Marked" challenge the reliance on incarceration in the United States and detail a variety of unintended consequences.
Abstract
Over 2.3 million Americans are serving time in prisons and jails with almost 700,000 returning from prison to their communities each year. Prior to the early 1970s, the U.S. incarceration rate remained relatively stable at about 100 inmates per 100,000. Today, the prison and jail incarceration rate is 756 per 100,000 (West and Sabol, 2009). High rates of incarceration are unique to the United States in the international community; since 2002, the USA has had the highest incarceration rate in the world. In the face of ever-increasing incarceration and high recidivism rates over the last 40 years, explaining the inlfuence of the prison and outlining a response is a daunting task for criminologists. References (Published Abstract)