Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities [Hardcover]

Mary F. (Francesca) Bosworth (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076192731X | ISBN-13: 978-0761927310 | Publication Date: December 15, 2004 | Edition: 1

The two-volume Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities 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. Comparative data and examples are employed to analyze the American system within an international context. The Encyclopedia’s 400 entries are written by recognized authorities. The appendix contains a comprehensive listing of every federal prison in the U.S., complete with facility details and service information.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This encyclopedia features 400 alphabetically arranged, signed entries on the history and current state of imprisonment in America. The varied topics include prison architecture (Cottage system, Supermax prisons); life in prison (Gangs, Islam in prison, Lawyer's visits); security (Electronic monitoring, Minimum security); prisoner characteristics (Drug offenders, Mothers in prison, Native American prisoners); and technicalities of punishment (Habeas corpus, Three-strikes legislation), among others. Although there are entries for some other English-speaking countries, such as Australia and Canada, emphasis is on the U.S. In the introduction, the editor remarks that the high incarceration rate in the U.S. is now an indelible part of the country's collective cultural imagination.

Entries vary in length but are on average two and a half pages long, end with a list of further readings, and offer applicable cross-references and legal case citations. Text is supplemented with 23 interesting sidebars written by current prisoners and a handful of black-and-white photographs. The entries are preceded by a chronology that lists key legal cases, publications, and prison openings, beginning with the sixteenth century. There are both alphabetical and subject listings of entries. An appendix profiles every federal prison in the U.S., including location, contact information, capacity, visiting times, and recreational facilities. A general index listing people and concepts within main entries and an extensive bibliography and legal case list round out the work.

Current coverage of this topic is much needed. Similar in scope is the now-outdated Encyclopedia of American Prisons (Garland, 1996), which features 160 signed entries written in a slightly less-appealing textbook style. It cites the original 1966 American Correctional Association's Manual of Correctional Standards, for example, compared to the revised fourth edition from 2002 cited in the Encyclopedia of Prisons & Correctional Facilities. The current Encyclopedia lacks coverage at the state level found in the also dated and briefer Dictionary of American Penology (Greenwood, 1996), but it is more scholarly than the Facts On File Encyclopedia of American Prisons, from 2003, which lacks in-depth bibliographies. Recommended for larger reference collections and libraries supporting criminal justice programs. Susan Gardner
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This timely set on prisons and correctional facilities in America covers everything from prisoners, historical personages, organizations, groups, and riots to statistics, concepts, legislation, court cases, and more.  It also integrates important issues of race, gender, and class ... This very accessible set will replace the current standard in the field ... Essential for sociology, criminology, and large general collections." (LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) )

The Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities presents the questions surrounding the correctional system in the United States. . . . This set is highly recommended for both public and academic libraries, particularly those supporting programs in criminal justice, political science and governmental affairs. (John R.M. Lawrence, Reference Librarian )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1400 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (December 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076192731X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761927310
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good effort but..., October 8, 2007

By 

World Music Fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities (Hardcover)

The problem with a book like this is, the minute it's published, it's obsolete. Prisons are getting worse by the day. For instance, it states here that women at MCI-Framingham in Massachusetts, receive training in building trades and have access to programs through Boston University. That's not entirely true. "Programs" indicates something tangible like a degree but BU's endowment can only go so far; the state should kick in (especially since state law mandates it) but doesn't. Soon (as of this date Oct. 9, 2007), however, women at Framingham will be provided culinary arts and cosmetology programs, skills once considered traditionally "female" (and obviously still are). But they only have room for about 12 people at a time. There are roughly 1080 inmates in this 452 capacity prison. Right now, there is nothing else offered that is a marketable skill. And that's just the women's prison. An entire book would need to be written to touch on the severe deficiencies within the men's prisons.

I gave this book 4 stars because it doesn't cover enough about Massachusetts prisons, which I have discovered has one of the worst systems in the country. It is this silence that allows it to remain so. MA has the highest rate of over classified inmates (inmates who are in max should be in med, and med in min, etc.), second highest percentage of innocent people incarcerated (Illinois is number 1), the highest suicide rate in DYS in the nation, etc.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Prison Encyclopedia, January 13, 2009

By 

K. Rowlison "ksr" (IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities (Hardcover)

The books were not exactly what I expected. I was looking for books with more history and pictures. It seems like too much information is crammed into these books. Hence, the ENCYCLOPEDIA...but I wanted more detailed information and history and there are hardly any pictures.