The Prisoners' World: Portraits of Convicts Caught in the Incarceration Binge (Issues in Crime and Justice)

"Drawing on twenty-five years of teaching prison college and volunteer classes in eleven Michigan and California prisons, The Prisoners' World strives to make the 'prisoners' voice' come alive for regular college students. The book starts off by tracing shifts in social definitions of criminality, and lays out the premises of the U.S. incarceration binge in the 1986 War on Drugs laws and subsequent mandatory sentencing and policing. Later chapters discuss issues such as leaving home, cell life, correctional officers and treatment, the homosexual prisoner, and drugs. Furthermore, the book discusses the teachers' experiences via author narrative essays that draw the reader into prisoner student and prisoner teacher interaction, and what it is like inside prison college classes where both young and older black prisoner students describe growing up in the inner cities. The book also draws upon over sixty prisoner essays that provide insight on prisoner life and self-concept with insights on pathways to prison, drug selling, the inner city and guns. There is also a strong focus on the 'inside' experiences of entering prison and orientation, daily work routine, correctional officers and surreptitious activities like cell cooking and contraband. These essays are capped by prisoner critiques of prison life from those still in the system. The Prisoners' World serves as a successful supplemental book whose material has proven useful in undergraduate criminal justice classes. As college students themselves, on-campus students in these classes will identify with the prisoner-student voices who share their experiences but in a radically different environment."--Provided by publisher

Drawing on twenty-five years of teaching prison college and volunteer classes in eleven Michigan and California prisons, The Prisoners' World: Portraits of Convicts Caught in the Incarceration Binge strives to make the "prisoners' voice" come alive for regular college students.

This book starts off by tracing shifts in social definitions of criminality, and lays out the premises of the U.S. incarceration binge in the 1986 "war on drugs" and subsequent mandatory sentencing and policing. Later chapters discuss issues such as leaving home, cell life, correctional officers and treatment, the homosexual prisoner, and drugs. Furthermore, this book discusses the teachers' experiences via author narrative essays that draw the reader into prisoner-student and prison teacher interaction, and what it is like inside prison college classes where both young and older black prisoner-students describe growing up in the inner cities.

This book also draws on over eighty prisoner essays that provide insight on prisoner life and self-concept with insights on pathways to prison, drug selling, the inner city, and guns. There is also a strong focus on the "inside" experiences of entering prison and orientation, daily work routine, correctional officers, and surreptitious activities like cell cooking and contraband. These essays are capped by prisoner critiques of prison life from those still in the system.

The Prisoners' World serves as a successful supplemental book whose material has proven useful in undergraduate criminal justice classes. As college students themselves, on-campus students will identify with the prisoner-student voices who share their experiences but in a radically differentenvironment.

Contents 6 Preface 8 Acknowledgments 18 Part I. Emergence of the Prisoners' World 20 Chapter 1. Historical Periods of Prisoners' Worlds 24 Chapter 2. Premises of the Incarceration Binge Culture 50 Chapter 3. Prison Binge Growth Theory 70 Part II. Life before Prison 98 Chapter 4. Families and Home 100 Chapter 5. Pathways to Prison 114 Part III. Entering the Prisoners' World 144 Chapter 6. Getting into "The System" 148 Chapter 7. Cells 180 Chapter 8. Daily Work Routine 194 Chapter 9. Correctional Officers 202 Part IV. Portraits of the Prison Self 214 Chapter 10. Prisoner Free Time 216 Chapter 11. The Homosexual Prisoner 238 Chapter 12. Drugs and Contraband in Prison 250 Part V. African Americans Caught in the Expanding Prison World 260 Chapter 13. Michigan Reformatory: Young Blacks Caught in Detroit's Incarceration Binge Drug Sweeps, 1987–1994 266 Chapter 14. Detroit's Inner City: Critique by Black Youth Prisoners (under Twenty-Five) at Michigan Reformatory 290 Chapter 15. Inner City Experiences: Black Prisoners over Twenty-Five at Jackson State Prison, 1990–2000 302 Chapter 16. Cocaine and Addictive Deadly Crack in Detroit's Inner City 310 Chapter 17. Guns in the Inner City 316 Part VI. The Future of the Prisoners' World 322 Chapter 18. Prisoners' Views on System and Reentry 324 Chapter 19. The End of the Incarceration Binge? 330 Websites and Organizations 342 References 348 Index 360 About the Authors 372 Historical periods of prisoners' worlds -- Premises of the incarceration binge culture -- Binge growth theory -- Families and home -- Pathways to prison -- Getting into "the system"--Cells -- Daily work routine -- Correctional officers -- Prisoner free time -- The homosexual prisoner -- Drugs and contraband in prison -- Michigan Reformatory (MR) : young blacks caught (1987-1994) in Detroit's incarceration binge drug sweeps -- Detroit's inner city : critique by youth (under 25) black prisoners at Michigan Reformatory (MR) -- Inner city experiences : black prisoners over 25 at Jackson State Prison, 1990-2000 -- Cocaine and addictive deadly crack in Detroit's inner city -- Guns in the inner city -- Prisoners' views on system and reentry -- The end of the incarceration binge? Historical periods of prisoners' worlds Premises of the incarceration binge culture Binge growth theory Families and home Pathways to prison Getting into "the system" Cells Daily work routine Correctional officers Prisoner free time The homosexual prisoner Drugs and contraband in prison Michigan Reformatory (MR) : young blacks caught (1987-1994) in Detroit's incarceration binge drug sweeps Detroit's inner city : critique by youth (under 25) black prisoners at Michigan Reformatory (MR) Inner city experiences : black prisoners over 25 at Jackson State Prison, 1990-2000 Cocaine and addictive deadly crack in Detroit's inner city Guns in the inner city Prisoners' views on system and reentry The end of the incarceration binge? Synopsis: The Prisoners' World seeks to make the prisoners' voice come alive for regular college classroom students via author narrative essays as well as over sixty prisoner essays that shine light into prisoner experiences in California and Michigan penitentiaries. The Prisoners' World seeks to make the 'prisoners' voice' come alive for regular college classroom students via author narrative essays as well as over sixty prisoner essays that shed light into prisoner experiences in California and Michigan penitentiaries.