Living in Prison: A History of the Correctional System with an Insider's View
?This book by two criminologists and a currently incarcerated inmate surveys the history of the correctional system in the US and provides an overview of contemporary prisons, criminal justice policies, women in prison, prisoner rights, and the evolution of current penological practices. As such, it would stand as an effective text for college-level criminology classes. The strength of the work, however, is the powerful personalization of the prison experience provided by Stanko, who is currently incarcerated in South Carolina. He discusses, among other topics, his pretrial detention, the psychology of imprisonment, coping strategies, health care in prison, food, relations with corrections officials, and the intense depression of being cut off from freedom that afflicts most inmates....Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice