States of Confinement: Policing, Detention, and Prisons - Softcover

NA, NA; James, Joy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312294506 ISBN 13: 9780312294502

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002

Synopsis

The United States has the highest incarceration and execution rate in the industrialized world; 70 percent of the nearly two million incarcerated in prisons and immigration detention centers are people of color. States of Confinement uncovers the political, social, and economic biases in policing and punishment. The distinguished contributors- Angela Y. Davis, Manning Marable, Gary Marx, Robert Meeropol, Julie Su, and Judi Bari-discuss abuses of police powers in American society. They expose racial profiling and sentencing disparities that target African Americans and Latinos, the sexual exploitation of women, racist and homophobic violence, the policing of Asian Americans and Arabs, the conditions of HIV-positive prisoners, the use of the Grand Jury and police to undermine political activity, and environmental activism.

About this title

Review:

"This challenge to conventional wisdom about the criminal justice system is needed." - Booklist

"This book is an enormously useful treasury of information, joining powerful personal stories with bold, thoughtful analysis." - Howard Zinn, author of A People s History of the United States

Synopsis:

The United States has the highest incarceration and execution rate in the industrialized world. Due to bias in policing and sentencing, 70 percent of the nearly two million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and immigration detention centers are people of colour. Statistics like these, and the often unsafe conditions under which people are imprisoned, make an analysis of incarceration urgent. Using a broad multicultural approach, "States of Confinement" uncovers the political, social, and economic biases in policing and punishment systems. The authors of this collection - such as Angela Y. Davis, Manning Marable, Gary Marx, Robert Meeropol (the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg), Julie Su (an attorney for immigrants' rights), and Judi Bari (a founder of Earthfirst!) - use their diverse experiences and expertise to discuss troubling abuses of police powers in our society.

The issues they expose include racial profiling and sentencing disparities that target African Americans and Latinos, the sexual exploitation of women in prison and police custody, racist and homophobic violence, the policing of Asian Americans and Arabs, the adverse conditions of HIV-positive prisoners, and the use of the Grand Jury and police to undermine political activity. These twenty-seven cogent and accessible essays should appeal to students and educators, as well as anyone concerned about the erosion of democracy and equality in this era of increasing incarceration and police powers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0312294506
• ISBN 13: 9780312294502
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 366