Prisons in Crisis - 9780253208149

"A policy-oriented, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural examination of the cost and consequences of imprisonment.... Selke details how prisons in the United States are wastelands of human dignity, opportunity, and support, and needlessly drain a suffering economy. He gives us the opportunity to look elsewhere for alternatives." —John Ortiz Smykla

"... the fact that so many approaches to incarceration are brought together in one volume makes this a valuable reference source." —Library Journal

"... a book that will provide valuable insights for students studying the American Correctional System." —Criminal Justice Review

"[Selke] expertly weaves together a need for reform with successful ideas borrowed from other nations. What makes this book difficult is the sincere rethinking it calls for. Appealing to both the academic and practitioner, every serious student of corrections should read Prisons in Crisis." —The Criminologist

"Selke's book is an important contribution to public debates about crime control." —Choice

Prisons in Crisis deals with the pressing problems that are faced by our nation's overcrowded and ineffective prison systems. Selke looks at the nature of prison life and prison conditions today and reviews alternative policies that can be used to help alleviate the crisis while protecting society from violent offenders.