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In Addicted to Incarceration, author Travis Pratt uses an evidence-based approach to explore the consequences of what he terms America′s "addiction to incarceration," highlighting the scope of the problem, the nature of the political discussions surrounding criminal justice policy in general and corrections policy in particular, and the social cost of incarceration. Pratt demonstrates that the United States′ addiction to incarceration has been fueled by American citizens′ opinions about crime and punishment, the effectiveness of incarceration as a means of social control, and perhaps most important, by policies legitimized by faulty information (e.g.,fear of crime is objectively linked to victimization, petty offenders mature into violent predators, and persistent offending can be accurately predicted over the life course). Analyzing crime policies as they relate to crime rates and U.S. society′s ability to both lower the crime rate and address the role of incarceration in preventing future crime, the book shows students how ineffective our rush to incarcerate has been in the last decade, as well as offering recommendations and insights into the future of this problem. Features

Real world examples that put a human face on the issues open each chapter Race, ethnicity, and gender issues underlie all discussions and address key aspects of incarceration rates and crime trends The social costs of incarceration are explored, including the heightened inmate risk of personal victimization, incarceration′s effect as a barrier to successful offender reintegration into society, and its role in exacerbating existing racial inequalities The final chapter contains conclusions and recommendations for future policy makers Written in an informal and accessible style, Addicted to Incarceration is appropriate for criminal justice policy or corrections courses at the undergraduate level and can also be used as a supplementary text in introductory criminal justice, criminology, and critical issues in criminal justice courses.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Foreword
• Section 1
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The Politics of Punishment in the United States
• Section 2
• 3 Misinformation About the Crime Problem
• 4 Misinformation About Public Opinion
• 5 Misinformation About Prisons and Crime Control
• Section 3
• 6 The Social Costs of Incarceration
• 7 Conclusions and Recommendations
• References

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CHOICE Review

The US has achieved the title of world leader in a variety of areas throughout the course of its history. Pratt (criminal justice, Arizona State Univ.) provides a brief yet exceptional scholarly description of one such area, documenting well the US "addiction" to incarceration: the US places more individuals behind bars than any other country. The author provides an excellent overview of the history of incarceration and the context in which it flourishes in the US, including flawed assumptions underlying the ability of such policies to reduce crime. Pratt also presents scientific evidence pertaining to social costs and racial, ethnic, and gender issues, as well as recommendations for the future. In summary, this well-researched work is very easy to read, uses real life examples and occasional humor to maintain interest, and will make readers question the use of incarceration as an effective crime control policy. A must read for anyone analyzing the impact of incarceration as a means of crime reduction. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. C. S. Cooley Mercer County College

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Travis C. Pratt received his degrees from WashingtonStateUniversity(B.A., Political Science; M.A., Criminal Justice) and the Universityof Cincinnati(Ph.D., Criminal Justice). He has beenon the Faculty of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University--Newarkand was the Director of the Program in Criminal Justice at Washington StateUniversity before joining the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice atArizona State University, where he is currently an Associate Professor.

His research and publications focusprimarily on structural and integrated theories of crime and delinquency(including macro-level, multilevel-level, and individual-level approaches tothe study of criminal/deviant behavior) and correctional policy (bothinstitutional and community corrections). Aside from these areas, his recent work also addresses the role of racein police decision-making and multi-jurisdictional task force approaches todrug interdiction. He has published overforty articles that have appeared in the leading peer-reviewed journals in thefield, including: Crime and Delinquency ; Crimeand Justice: A Review of Research ; Criminology ; Journal of Research inCrime and Delinquency ;and Justice Quarterly. He received the 2006 RuthShonle Cavan Outstanding Young Scholar Awardfrom the American Society of Criminology for his research and scholarship.