Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis (Hardcover)

by Christian Parenti (Author) "How bleak the world must have been for those with political and economic power during the late sixties and early seventies..." (more)
Key Phrases: justice buildup, criminal justice crackdown, interior enforcement, New York, African American, Border Patrol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In this important book, Parenti surveys the rise of the prison industrial complex from the Nixon through Reagan eras and into the present. Why does the United States currently have one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world, with over 1.8 million Americans living behind bars? Why are only 29 precent of all prisoners violent offenders? Parenti, a former radio journalist and now a professor at the New College of California, argues that capitalism implies and demands a certain amount of poverty; the powers that be then respond by incarcerating drug users, the underclass, and other relatively powerless persons. Parenti provides a very thorough account of this process as well as a realistic portrayal of an American prison life characterized by rape, torture, gangs, and prisoners as a source of labor. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.ATim Delaney, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The Washington Post
This passionate and compassionate writer ... deserves a full hearing from anyone serious about ending the often horrific realities of the criminal justice system.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: Verso Books (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859847188
• ISBN-13: 978-1859847183
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,434,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Valuable Reporting, January 12, 2000

By	Mark Wylie (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Christian Parenti's "Lockdown America" is one of many excellent recent books on crime policy. As do David Cole and Elliott Currie, Parenti contributes to showing the failures of the one-dimensional crime policies of the past 20-30 years, during which time the only acceptable variation on "get tough" has been "get tougher."

"Lockdown" consists of three parts. First, Parenti surveys the development of crime policy over the past 30-odd years. His account is sterngthened by his placement of crime policy in a broader context of important social and economic trends such as growing income inequality and the decline of manufacturing employment, especially in large cities.

The other two segments focus on two groups who are on the front lines of crime policy--the police and prisons. Parenti describes a number of disturbing trends, such as:

-the spread of "zero-tolerance" policing policies, and the enormous increase in lawlessness and violence on the part of the supposed keepers of the law.

-the growing militarization of police forces as seen in the proliferation of paramilitary SWAT teams and similar units, many of which, again, are responsible for wildly excessive use of force.

-the rampant degree to which prison guards engage in violence against inmates as well as formenting such violence among inmates themselves.

Parenti's reporting is first-rate. While his book is not a complete picture of the crime issue--he is somewhat short on solutions--his account is a valuable complement to the more policy-oriented work of Cole or Currie. "Lockdown America" deserves to be widely read.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SURE TO BE A CULT CLASSIC!!! GREAT PROSE., October 24, 1999

By A Customer

LOCKDOWN AMERICA is an exquisitly crafted gripping read. It traces the last thirty years of law and order politics in the US. I actually found LOCKDOWN hard to put down, Parenti's style combines straightforward, streetwise language with literary and analytic flar. Chocked full of information and obscure sources, the book is grimmly hummorious and politically uncomprising. Most importantly, LOCKDOWN AMERICA provides a thorough and unique explanation for why America is the world's number one jailer.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, but..., August 8, 2000

By	Cade Foster (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Factually, this is an excellent book. Parenti is a gifted writer, and the criminal justice system has long needed an expose of this type. His writing and research are on the firmest ground when writing about the prison system, which should be read by everyone who thinks prison is somehow a "country club." It's also high time that somebody criticized William Bratton and the rather brutal police tactics he legitimized.

Although Parenti makes no secret of his far-left intellectual leanings, it does undermine his credibility in places. His recounting of the Amadou Diallo case, for example, misstates the facts, and he seems to believe that crime is something invented by big-city cops to harass young black men. Crime is real, and, as anyone who lives in a city can attest, the fear of it is also real--not just for whites but, to an even greater extent, for law-abiding blacks. To Parenti, agressive policing is a sop to yuppies and "gentrification" proponents so that the well-to-do can walk to their corner Starbucks unmolested. No--we'd all like to live in a crime-free environment, and we all have that right.

That said, this is an important book, and well worth reading and discussing.