This strong indictment of the current prison system, undertaken by two respected experts on behalf of the American Friends Service Committee, traces the history and features of our penal system, offers strong ethical and moral assessments of it, and lays out a whole new paradigm of criminal justice based on restorative justice and reconciliation. The book puts forward a 12-point plan for immediate changes. Beyond Prisons opens a long-needed national dialogue on our responsibilities as citizens and as a nation to provide remediation rather than mere retributive incarceration, answerable to the common good and the justice of God.
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Editorial Reviews
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"A very thought-provoking book. This book challenges us by advocating the abolishment of our current penal system. Laura Magnani, Jamie Bissonette, and Harmon Wray have done an outstanding job researching and stating the inherent problems within our criminal justice system. Beyond Prisons describes the evils of imprisonment and want to exorcise this so called 'criminal justice system' from our society. What they ask for is a new justice paradigm which will not discriminate or be prejudicial to racial minorities and will not be retributive. Restorative justice, peace building and reconciliation are described as hallmarks of this new justice system.
Moving an entire government and society as suggested in Beyond Prisons and the American Friends Service Committee may appear as a foolish dream to some. To others, many religious people and other people of goodwill who are disgusted with the costs, inefficiencies and apparent immorality of our current 'retributive' justice system; the dream of a new system which will be morally 'right and good' cannot be ignored.
The Rev. Martin Luther King once proclaimed, 'I have a dream...'"
— Paul E. Rogers, President, American Correctional Chaplains Association "Not just another book on criminal justice systems. Beyond Prisons is a jewel, working like a finely crafted prism to illumine many features of a new paradigm for justice needed in the USA today. Scholars and teachers will value its critical yet concise introduction to enduring debates in criminal justice. Informed activists will prop this book up alongside their phones and photocopying machines for ready reference to the key issues at stake."
— Mark Lewis Taylor, Professor of Theology and Culture, Princeton Theological Seminary and author of The Executed God: The Way of the Cross in Lockdown America
"This book is the fruit of years of organizing, advocacy and reflection concerning our deeply broken criminal justice system. Magnani and Wray offer a truly radical analysis that penetrates to the roots of the crisis, challenges long-held assumptions, and imagines thoughtful alternatives. It is the finest critique of the prison-industrial complex available."
— Ched Myers, writer, theological educator and social justice organizer with Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries in southern California.
About the Author
Laura Magnani is Assistant Regional Director for Justice for the American Friends Service Committee in Oakland, California, and author of America's First Penitentiary: A 200-Year-Old Failure (AFSC, 1990).
Harmon L. Wray is Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Faith and Criminal Justice and author of Restorative Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment (General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, 2002).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read!,
By CariJ (Cary, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beyond Prisons: A New Interfaith Paradigm for Our Failed Prison System (Paperback)
Harmon and Laura give a thorough look at the state of our US prisons and jails. They have mined the extensive data that is available in order to give the reader the pertinent information in a succinct format. Their suggestions are timely and much needed! If you are interested in prison reform, are a minister looking to start a prison ministry, or just curious about the current state of our prisons, this book is a must read for you.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read,
By Dave "Dave" (Detroit) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Beyond Prisons: A New Interfaith Paradigm for Our Failed Prison System (Paperback)
This book gives an important perspective that I wish could be heard by many more people in society.
It definitely has influenced me and I would greatly recommend it for anyone to read.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In order to understand how it came to pass that the United States incarcerates over two million people, we must return to the nation's roots. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
penal abolition, disabled prisoners, prison abolition, beyond prisons, first penitentiary, justice paradigm, healing justice, adult jails, convict lease system Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, United Nations, Supreme Court, National Survey Results, New Jersey, New York, African American, Walnut Street Jail, Criminal Justice Task Force, Sentencing Project, World War, Bill of Rights, Puerto Rican, Thirteenth Amendment, First Nations, South Africa, Cherry Hill, North America New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In order to understand how it came to pass that the United States incarcerates over two million people, we must return to the nation's roots. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
penal abolition, disabled prisoners, prison abolition, beyond prisons, first penitentiary, justice paradigm, healing justice, adult jails, convict lease system Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, United Nations, Supreme Court, National Survey Results, New Jersey, New York, African American, Walnut Street Jail, Criminal Justice Task Force, Sentencing Project, World War, Bill of Rights, Puerto Rican, Thirteenth Amendment, First Nations, South Africa, Cherry Hill, North America New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 34
books:
See all 34 books this book cites
- Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice 8th Edition by Jeffrey Reiman on page 32, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice, Seventh Edition by Jeffrey Reiman on page 32, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Discovery of the Asylum (New Lines in Criminology) by David J. Rothman on page 123, and Back Matter
- Preventing Violence (Prospects for Tomorrow) by James Gilligan on page 184, and Back Matter
- Moll Flanders (Norton Critical Editions) by Daniel Defoe on page 24, and Back Matter
See all 34 books this book cites
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