Do prisons make us safer? : the benefits and costs of the prison boom Cover Image

Book

Do prisons make us safer? : the benefits and costs of the prison boom / Steven Raphael and Michael A. Stoll, editors.

Raphael, Steven, 1968- (Added Author). Stoll, Michael A. (Added Author).

Summary:

"Do Prisons Make Us Safer? asks whether it makes sense to maintain such a large and costly prison system. The contributors expand the scope of previous analyses to Include a number of underexplored dimensions, such as the fiscal impact on states, effects on children, and employment prospects for former inmates." "The United States currently imprisons a greater proportion of its citizens than any other nation in the world. Until now, however, we have lacked systematic and comprehensive data on how this prison boom has affected families, communities, and our nation as a whole. Do Prisons Make Us Safer? provides a highly nuanced and deeply engaging account of one of the most dramatic policy developments in recent U.S. history."--Jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 0871548607 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 9780871548603 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: x, 354 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Publisher: New York : Russell Sage Foundation, c2009.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Why are so many Americans in prison? / Steven Raphael and Michael A. Stoll -- The origins of mass incarceration in New York State : the Rockefeller drug laws and the local war on drugs / David F. Weiman and Christopher Weiss -- The impact of prison on crime / Shawn D. Bushway and Raymond Paternoster -- The people prisons make : the effects of incarceration on criminal psychology / Amy E. Lerman -- Ever-increasing levels of parental incarceration and the consequences for children / Rucker C. Johnson -- Footing the bill : causes and budgetary consequences of state spending on corrections / John W. Ellwood and Joshua Guetzkow -- Collateral costs : effects of incarceration on employment and earnings among young workers / Harry J. Holzer -- Assessing the relative benefits of incarceration : overall changes and the benefits on the margin / John J. Donohue III.