Review:
"This short, efficiently conveyed study cannot delve into all of the ramifications of how to integrate those returning to society, however, The Punishment Imperative attests to the need for a better way to manage the millions that our nation have, for too long, relegated to simply lock up, forever."-Popmatters
"The book's 200 pages of details and its prescriptions will be intriguing even to those who know the field."-Jotwell
"It is too soon to tell if a sea of change is upon the US penal system, but the authors make their cogent argument in this well-written book. Summing Up: Highly recommended."-P. Horne,Choice
"For forty years, the heavy hammer of criminalpunishment has been the nation's primary tool for addressing social problems.And when the hammer has failed to fix these problems or does further damage,we've responded by grabbing an even bigger hammer. In The Punishment Imperative, Todd Clear and Natasha Frostconvincingly demonstrate that the hammer has, finally, become too heavy for usto raise. They offer a masterful dissection of this 'grand social experiment';showing how we embarked on this strategy, its costs to individuals andcommunities, and a clear-headed path to real reform. The Punishment Imperative is neither armchair critique nor utopianvision, but rather an eye-opening and truly authoritative treatment by two trueexperts on punishment's past, present, and future."-Christopher Uggen,co-author of Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy
"Backed up by the best science, Todd Clear andNatasha Frost make a compelling case for why the nation’s forty-year embrace ofthe punitive spirit has been morally bankrupt and endangered public safety. But this is far more than an exposé of correctional failure. Recognizing thata policy turning point is at hand, Clear and Frost provide a practicalblueprint for choosing a different correctional future―counsel that is wise andshould be widely followed."-Francis Cullen,Distinguished Research Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati
“This compelling narrative helps us betterunderstand the history, trajectory, and complexity of the politics ofpunishment in the United States over the past four decades. At a time of impending shifts in thecorrectional landscape in this country, this impressive volume should be on thereading list not only for scholars and students of mass incarceration, but alsofor corrections practitioners and policymakers everywhere who care about a newvision for America's penal system.”-Laurie O. Robinson,Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice
"This well-documented volume will interest anyone connected to our criminal justice system and may appeal to general readers concerned about the subject of incarceration."-Frances O. Sandiford ,Library Journal
“Clear and Frost have helped start the most important conversation facing criminologists at the moment. How do we substantively reduce prison populations?”-Crime Law Social Change
"Part historical study, part forward-looking policy analysis, The Punishment Imperative is a compelling study of a generation of crime and punishment in America."-Douglas A. Berman,Sentencing Law and Policy
"Criminologists Clear (Imprisoning Communities) and Frost (The Punitive State) offer an accessible study of mass incarceration in the U.S. that is theoretically sophisticated and rich in statistical data . . . . A meticulously organized concluding chapter lays out their proposals with an eye toward reducing sentences and making them more humane for nonviolent offenders. The book merits serious consideration beyond an academic audience."-Publishers Weekly
About the Author:
Todd R. Clear is Provost at Rutgers University, Newark. He is the author of
Imprisoning Communities and
What Is Community Justice? and is the founding editor of the journal
Criminology & Public Policy.
Natasha A. Frost is Associate Dean and Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Her books include The Punitive State and Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Policy.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.