Customer Reviews

DOWN ON PARCHMAN FARM: THE GREAT PRISON IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELT (Urban Life & Urban Landscape)

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This book is about the penal farm system in Mississippi commonly known as Parchman. This book is an excellent book from a writer and his outlook, or perspective, on the history of Parhman Farm. This book is written by a college professor from a Mississippi university, University of Sourthern Mississippi. Therefore the book is said by scholars and critics to be pro Mississippi or somewhat defend Mississippi penal policies of the early and mid 20th century. This book is extremely informative and easy to read. It details life on the Mississippi penal farm and how it was a self sfficient, thriving "mini-civilization". It also details how prisoners played large parts in the everyday running of the farm. The best thing I can tell you to do is to read this book along with David Oshinsky's "Worse Than Slavery", develop your own conclusions from booth books and decide for yourself whether Parchman Farm was a horrible place or a practical way of rehabilitation. Oshinsky's book has an opposite view of this book and the contrast will leave you with the ability to make your own conclusions. I would reccomend this book for anyone interested in Mississippi history, as well as any college student pursuing a degree in criminal justice, corrections, criminal psychology, or any related field.

This book is a wonderful experience from the reader's point of view. It goes in depth about life at Parchman Penitentiary from the guards and inmates viewpoint. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in criminology, prisons, and law.