The big house : image and reality of the American prison

“The Big House" is America’s idea of the prison—­a huge, tough, ostentatiously oppressive pile of rock, bristling with rules and punishments, overwhelming in size and the intent to intimidate. Stephen Cox tells the story of the American prison—its politics, its sex, its violence, its inability to control itself—and its idealization in American popular culture. This book investigates both the popular images of prison and the realities behind them­: problems of control and discipline, maintenance and reform, power and sexuality. It conveys an awareness of the limits of human and institutional power, and of the symbolic and iconic qualities the “Big House” has attained in America’s understanding of itself. ""The Big House" is America's idea of the prison - a huge, tough, ostentatiously oppressive pile of rock, bristling with rules and punishments, overwhelming in size and the intent to intimidate. Stephen Cox tells the story of the American prison - its politics, its sex, its violence, its inability to control itself - and its idealization in American popular culture. This book investigates both the popular images of prison and the realities behind them : problems of control and discipline, mainenance and reform, power and sexuality. It conveys an awareness of the limits of human and institutional power, and of the symbolic and iconic qualities the "Big House" has attained in America's understanding of itself"--Jacket Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 1. Touring the Institution 11 2. How to Build a Big House 26 3. Your Life as a Convict 55 4. The Art of Humiliation 72 5. Sex 90 6. You Built It, Now Try to Run It 109 7. A Tale of Two Prisons 133 8. Rajahs and Reformers 146 9. Prisons You Can’t Tear Down 165 Notes 195 Works Cited 213 Index 223