At no time in history, and certainly in no other democratic society, have prisons been filled so quickly and to such capacity than in the United States. And nowhere has this growth been more concentrated than in the disadvantaged--and primarily minority--neighborhoods of America's largest urban cities. In the most impoverished places, as much as 20% of the adult men are locked up on any given day, and there is hardly a family without a father, son, brother, or uncle who has not been behind bars. While the effects of going to and returning home from prison are well-documented, little attention has been paid to the impact of removal on neighborhoods where large numbers of individuals have been imprisoned. In the first detailed, empirical exploration of the effects of mass incarceration on poor places, Imprisoning Communities demonstrates that in high doses incarceration contributes to the very social problems it is intended to solve: it breaks up family and social networks; deprives siblings, spouses, and parents of emotional and financial support; and threatens the economic and political infrastructure of already struggling neighborhoods. Especially at risk are children who, research shows, are more likely to commit a crime if a father or brother has been to prison. Clear makes the counterintuitive point that when incarceration concentrates at high levels, crime rates will go up. Removal, in other words, has exactly the opposite of its intended effect: it destabilizes the community, thus further reducing public safety. Demonstrating that the current incarceration policy in urban America does more harm than good, from increasing crime to widening racial disparities and diminished life chances for youths, Todd Clear argues that we cannot overcome the problem of mass incarceration concentrated in poor places without incorporating an idea of community justice into our failing correctional and criminal justice systems.

Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)

Politics & Social Sciences

Clear, Todd R.

Social Sciences

Oxford University Press

Community Justice

Community Justice discusses concepts of community within the context of justice policy and programs, and addresses the important relationship between the criminal justice system and the community in the USA. Taking a bold stance in the criminal justice debate, this book argues that crime management is more effective through the use of informal (as opposed to formal) social control. It demonstrates how an increasing number of criminal justice elements are beginning to understand that the development of partnerships within the community that enhance informal social control will lead to a stabilization and possible a decline in crime, especially violent crime, and make communities more liveable. Borrowing from an eclectic toolbox of ideas and strategies - community organizing, environmental crime prevention, private-public partnerships, justice initiatives – Community Justice puts forward a new approach to establishing safe communities, and highlights the failure of the current American justice system in its lack of vision and misuse of resources. Providing detailed information about how community justice fits within each area of the criminal justice system, and including relevant case studies to exemplify this philosophy in action, this book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of subjects such as criminology, law and sociology.

Cadora, Eric

Hamilton Jr., John R.

Routledge

Take a look at the American corrections system from the perspective of the corrections worker and the offender in AMERICAN CORRECTIONS, Eighth Edition. Comprehensive yet not overwhelming, the textbook covers both institutional and community sanctions in a balanced way. High-profile corrections cases taken from recent headlines dramatize real-life situations. You'll explore topics such as assisting felons during the re-entry process, reducing recidivism, the death penalty, surveillance, and careers in corrections.

Cengage Advantage Books: American Corrections

Reisig, Michael D.

Cole, George F.

Wadsworth Publishing

American Corrections

Cengage Learning'

Explore the American corrections system from the perspective of both the corrections worker and the offender in the newest edition of AMERICAN CORRECTIONS. Comprehensive yet not overwhelming, the book covers both institutional and community sanctions in a balanced way. Readers will appreciate the high-profile corrections cases taken from recent headlines, helping to reinforce the theories found in the book. AMERICAN CORRECTIONS also examines topics such as assisting felons during the re-entry process, reducing recidivism, the death penalty, surveillance, and careers in the corrections field.

A condensed, accessible version of the bestselling corrections book on the market, AMERICAN CORRECTIONS IN BRIEF, 1st Edition introduces students to the dynamics of corrections in a way that captures their interest and encourages them to enter the field. The brief paperback nature of this book makes it more approachable, and the well-respected author team has added several key pedagogical elements to help ensure students success. Complete with valuable career-based material, insightful guest speakers, illuminating real-world cases, and uniquely even-handed treatment of institutional and community sanctions, the text examines the U.S. correctional system from the perspectives of both the corrections worker and the offender, providing students with a well-rounded, balanced introduction to corrections.

American Corrections in Brief

Petrosino, Carolyn

American corrections

Brooks/Cole Pub

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Books by Clear, Todd R.