Challenging policy makers and the US public to respond to the costly practice of incarceration and assumed crime reduction benefits, this book uses sophisticated quantitative research methods to provide answers. A prestigious collection of public policy researchers begins by finding that the US incarcerates citizens at a higher rate than any other nation. Contributors unravel the impact by social class, education, and race and address the unintended consequences of incarceration, especially for African American families and children, for future involvement in criminal careers. Following an introduction laying out the research questions, three sections focus on the prison boom context; benefits and costs of the boom; and when a socially optimal level of imprisonment is achieved. Since politicians fear these questions, the authors apply rigorous analytical approaches to databases to generate hard evidence supporting their conclusions. They conclude that the US has reached an optimal level of imprisonment and should change the public policy practice of mass incarceration, and offer alternatives that provide greater safety at lower public cost. Missing are discussions on qualitative research insights into the dynamics of the criminal acts, criminal justice processing, and incarceration effects. A very technical book with an excellent but limited bibliography, useful to researchers and professionals. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. H. Larson emeritus, University of North Dakota