Prison Nation

by Tara Herivel (Editor), Paul Wright

Prison Nation is a distant dispatch from a foreign and forbidden place--the world of America's prisons. Written by prisoners, social critics and luminaries of investigative reporting, Prison Nation testifies to the current state of America's prisoners' living conditions and political concerns. These concerns are not normally the concerns of most Americans, but they should be. From substandard medical care the inadequacy of resources for public defenders to the death penalty, the issues covered in this volume grow more urgent every day. Articles by outstanding writers such as Mumia Abu-Jamal, Noam Chomsky, Mark Dow, Judy Green, Tracy Huling and Christian Parenti chronicle the injustices of prison privatization, class and race in the justice system, our quixotic drug war, the rarely discussed prison AIDS crisis and a judicial system that rewards mostly those with significant resources or the desire to name names. Correctional facilities have become a profitable growth industry, for companies like Wackenhut that run them and companies like Boeing that use cheap prison labor. With fascinating narratives, shocking tales and small stories of hope, Prison Nation paints a picture of a world many Americans know little or nothing about.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Essays, Sociology

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bridgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the books I read in 2009, I think this one moved me the most. Spending time with our prison system would be beneficial to everyone. Becoming aware of not only the number of women and men in prison, but also the systems that put them and keep them there has given me greater insight to the privileges we have and do not realize.

[Jacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your against capital punishment, and imprisoning the innocent, this is the book to read. If you have the "lock 'em up" mentality, this will disappoint. A good look into the American need to imprison, right down to the racial disparity between jail population and percentages. Eye-opening.

[Nicholas B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written mostly by incarcerated individuals or those who have spent some time in our prison system, Prison Nation gives the contrary point of view to the idea that everyone who is in prison deserves to be in prison, that the American justice system is not biased against the poor and minorities, and that life in Prison is like a country club. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning about who actually makes up the majority of our prison population and who benefits from the fact that we have by far the highest incarceration rate in the free world.

[Psychonaut · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eye-opening book about the prison system. But it begins to wear on you after a while, as it is one story after another of people in power doing horrible things to those that are helpless to do anything about it.

[Darrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

a series of articles on prisons and their effects on those interred in them and those who work in them

[Caty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will make you wince--in a way you need to do.

[Koz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly depressing but informative.