The Puzzle of Prison Order: Why Life Behind Bars Varies Around the World

by David Skarbek

Many people think prisons are all the same-rows of cells filled with violent men who officials rule with an iron fist. Yet, life behind bars varies in incredible ways. In some facilities, prison officials govern with care and attention to prisoners' needs. In others, officials have remarkably little influence on the everyday life of prisoners, sometimes not even providing necessities like food and clean water. Why does prison social order around the world look so remarkably different? In The Puzzle of Prison Order, David Skarbek develops a theory of why prisons and prison life vary so much. He finds that how they're governed-sometimes by the state, and sometimes by the prisoners-matters the most. He investigates life in a wide array of prisons-in Brazil, Bolivia, Norway, a prisoner of war camp, England and Wales, women's prisons in California, and a gay and transgender housing unit in the Los Angeles County Jail-to understand the hierarchy of life on the inside. Drawing on economics and a vast empirical literature on legal systems, Skarbek offers a framework to not only understand why life on the inside varies in such fascinating and novel ways, but also how social order evolves and takes root behind bars.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2020

About the author

I am Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at Brown University.

My research examines how extralegal governance institutions form, operate, and evolve, and in particular, how people define and enforce property rights and engage in trade in the absence of strong, effective governments. My first book, The Social Order of the Underworld, applies this interest to understanding the consequences of America's unique experiment with mass incarceration. In short, I ask, who makes law for the outlaws?

I received a Ph.D. in Economics at George Mason University, after which I taught in the Department of Political Science at Duke University. My academic articles have been published in numerous journals, including the American Political Science Review, Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Journal of Criminal Justice, and Public Choice.

I enjoy giving talks about political and economic issues across the United States and around the world. I've recently given academic seminars and public talks in Wales, Belgium, Italy, England, and in the United States, including at Stanford University, the National Bureau of Economic Research, and UC Berkeley.

Reviews

[Patrick Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023-07-04 Finished this yesterday.
Really good, but pretty narrowly focused on the theory of prison order and the factors that promote or disrupt order in prisons, with a few comments at the end on how this relates to the non-prison world.

So, if you are into this topic, the book is highly recommended.

The author is a very good writer, very clear, very compelling and fair/objective.

Impressive work.

I liked the author's first book: The Social Order of the Underworld better, since it was more broad-based and appropriate for laymen. This book demonstrates the incredible expertise of Skarbek and the general applicability of his theory on governance. Adds depth and breadth to his ideas in The Social Order of the Underworld.

[Danielle Sklar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t really wanna read this book bc like it’s a school book and academia and what not but it was actually very interesting and seemingly (at least to me) accessible. Also just very interesting to read this in thinking about prisons and abolition and in thinking about the ways in which prison systems vary. Idk I think it exposed me to a lot of things I hadn’t thought about before.

[Michael Giberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clearly written explanation of key differences in how prisoners maintain social order while in prison. The book includes fascinating details about differences in prisons around the world, then helps the reader understand how choices made about size, location, and official oversight of prisons affects how well prisons work. Limited in scope, but hits its target thoroughly.

[Iman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very academic so be warned. However it's a short read. I like how it explored multiple prison systems and how they compared to each other in terms of governance. I wish he looked more into how societies influence prison governance tho, what about Nordic culture produces the prisons that it has as well as American, British and Bolivian culture?

[João Pedro Bastos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is gathers evidence in several studies to provide a general overview of *why* life behind bars is different. Its depth does not compromise the intelligibility to the layman, being an interesting and informative book for nearly everyone.

[Eva Forslund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting.