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"Prisons Make Us Safer"

"Prisons Make Us Safer"

And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration

An accessible guide for activists, educators, and all who are interested in understanding how the prison system oppresses communities and harms individuals
Product Code: 5820
ISBN: 9780807029527
Format: Paperback / softback
Publisher: Beacon Press
Pages: 240
Published Date: 04/06/2021
Availability:In stock
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Price: $16.00
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The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to 5% of the global population, the United States has nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners - a total of over 2 million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500%.

Journalist Victoria Law explains how racism and social control were the catalysts for mass incarceration and have continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves, to the laws passed under the “War Against Drugs” campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people. She breaks down these complicated issues into four main parts:

-The rise and cause of mass incarceration
-Myths about prison
-Misconceptions about incarcerated people
-How to end mass incarceration

Through carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies the 21 key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration, including:

-The system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it
-Incarceration is necessary to keep our society safe
-Prison is an effective way to get people into drug treatment
-Private prison corporations drive mass incarceration

“Prisons Make Us Safer” is a necessary guide for all who are interested in learning about the cause and rise of mass incarceration and how we can dismantle it.


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“Convincing, creatively effective arguments for the dismantling of mass incarceration.” - Kirkus Reviews

“In this timely, powerfully persuasive, and relevant book, Law looks at some of the most damaging myths and misconceptions about mass incarceration. This is a must-read for those interested in the truth about mass incarceration and solutions to address it.” - Talitha LeFlouria, author of Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South

“Think you haven’t fallen prey to the myths around mass incarceration? Think again. Victoria Law’s hard-hitting, eloquently argued book shows - for those of us who’ve spent years learning about mass incarceration and those coming to the subject for the first time - how many assumptions about crime and safety, about ‘reform’ and punishment, are misguided. This is the book we need, as movements sweep across the US challenging injustices in policing and incarceration, to show us our history, analyze our current policies, and chart the way forward.” - Jeanne Theoharis, author of A More Beautiful and Terrible History

“In this era of expanding awareness of the structural character of racism, Vikki Law has offered us a very important tool. Her careful and accessible analysis, her feminist approach, and her methodical demystification of widely held views about incarceration enable precisely the kind of understanding we need at this moment.” - Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz

“Victoria Law’s impressive new book, ‘Prisons Make Us Safer’: And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration, is an important read both for new students of America’s failed criminal punishment policies and for those who have been advocating for change for many years. Law uses facts, figures, and moving and enraging stories from incarcerated people to bring to light many important, often misunderstood, and sometimes overlooked facets of the United States’ singularly massive criminal legal system. Law’s many years of personal experience, journalism, and advocacy on behalf of criminalized people results in her focused critique and practical solutions that demand attention and action.” - Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison
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Review and Rate this Item

The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to 5% of the global population, the United States has nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners - a total of over 2 million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500%.

Journalist Victoria Law explains how racism and social control were the catalysts for mass incarceration and have continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves, to the laws passed under the “War Against Drugs” campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people. She breaks down these complicated issues into four main parts:

-The rise and cause of mass incarceration
-Myths about prison
-Misconceptions about incarcerated people
-How to end mass incarceration

Through carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies the 21 key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration, including:

-The system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it
-Incarceration is necessary to keep our society safe
-Prison is an effective way to get people into drug treatment
-Private prison corporations drive mass incarceration

“Prisons Make Us Safer” is a necessary guide for all who are interested in learning about the cause and rise of mass incarceration and how we can dismantle it.


Bookmark and Share

“Convincing, creatively effective arguments for the dismantling of mass incarceration.” - Kirkus Reviews

“In this timely, powerfully persuasive, and relevant book, Law looks at some of the most damaging myths and misconceptions about mass incarceration. This is a must-read for those interested in the truth about mass incarceration and solutions to address it.” - Talitha LeFlouria, author of Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South

“Think you haven’t fallen prey to the myths around mass incarceration? Think again. Victoria Law’s hard-hitting, eloquently argued book shows - for those of us who’ve spent years learning about mass incarceration and those coming to the subject for the first time - how many assumptions about crime and safety, about ‘reform’ and punishment, are misguided. This is the book we need, as movements sweep across the US challenging injustices in policing and incarceration, to show us our history, analyze our current policies, and chart the way forward.” - Jeanne Theoharis, author of A More Beautiful and Terrible History

“In this era of expanding awareness of the structural character of racism, Vikki Law has offered us a very important tool. Her careful and accessible analysis, her feminist approach, and her methodical demystification of widely held views about incarceration enable precisely the kind of understanding we need at this moment.” - Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz

“Victoria Law’s impressive new book, ‘Prisons Make Us Safer’: And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration, is an important read both for new students of America’s failed criminal punishment policies and for those who have been advocating for change for many years. Law uses facts, figures, and moving and enraging stories from incarcerated people to bring to light many important, often misunderstood, and sometimes overlooked facets of the United States’ singularly massive criminal legal system. Law’s many years of personal experience, journalism, and advocacy on behalf of criminalized people results in her focused critique and practical solutions that demand attention and action.” - Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison
Be the first to submit a review on this product!
Review and Rate this Item

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