Punishment for Sale: Private Prisons, Big Business, and the Incarceration Binge

by Donna Selman, Paul Leighton

Punishment for Sale is the definitive modern history of private prisons, told through social, economic and political frames. The authors explore the origin of the ideas of modern privatization, the establishment of private prisons, and the efforts to keep expanding in the face of problems and bad publicity. The book provides a balanced telling of the story of private prisons and the resistance they engendered within the context of criminology, and it is intended for supplemental use in undergraduate and graduate courses in criminology, social problems, and race & ethnicity.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Cody James Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punishment was a well-written and well-researched book. It delves pretty deeply into the contracts between corporations and government, which can get tedious. It also focuses on just a couple of private prison corporations. The book reads more like a critical analysis than a book. I wouldn't suggest it for the casually interested reader, but it is a good read for those that are more interested.

[K vitale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and interesting. Still looking for a similar book that states the facts from the business POV with less of a social commentary

[Amberle Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been able to finish this yet, BUT what I have read is nothing I wouldn't expect from Donna & Paul. The case for the obvious link between incarceration and business is solid, and not only that, but overwhelmingly undeniable. I'm in Criminology, so I am familiar with terminology, however this is written so ANYONE can read and understand the issue discussed- definitely something the serious reader should pick up and have a go at. Both authors have been professors of mine, and I have gotten to know Paul in particular over my undergraduate career (and into my Graduate career) and they are fantastic & intelligent people. Pick it up and read- you can't go wrong and you will definitely learn something.