Invisible Punishment: The Collateral Consequences of Mass Imprisonment

Rating:
Summary: Important book for the hate-ridden nation
Review: A well-documented collection of articles and essays about the prison nation USA and what it has done, and will do to the millions of American children, orphaned because their mom or dad, or both wanted to feel better in the hostile environment of today. The devastation of American families, proliferation of homosexuality as a result of mass incarceration, destruction of millions of lives - all these crimes of the American system of "justice" are well-documented and scholarly presented in this book. Invisible Punishment is highly recommended to those who want to understand the essence and the consequence of the world's largest, American Gulag. A great supplement to this fact-oriented book would be www.nationofhate.us - the web site that multiplies the impact of those facts with a powerful emotional impact (unrelated to the authors and publishers of the Invisible Punishment).

Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for students of criminal justice
Review: I chose this book because it is a collaborative effort of two of my favorite authors (Mauer and Chesney-Lind). Those familiar with the work of either of these two will not be disappointed. Anyone seeking a good understanding of the current operations of the criminal justice system, especially the enduring impact of incarceration on offenders, their families and the community as a whole, should definitely read this book. In fact, anyone seeking to study the criminal justice system, either as a student or a citizen, should read this book.

The topics covered in the book are too varied to adequately cover here. The overarching theme in each chapter, however, is this: Think about the consequences of current penal practices in the US. Moreover, think about all of the potential consequences, not just those readily apparent. For example, one chapter focuses on the denial of welfare benefits to persons convicted of drug offenses. For many former inmates, this means they cannot receive public assistance when released and are attempting to re-establish their lives in the free world. For some, it may mean that they cannot rejoin their families without jeopardizing their families' benefits (especially housing assistance). Regardless of your opinions on welfare and those who ought to be entitled to it, this chapter does make you question whether our national penal policies achieve their goals or do more harm than good. All of the chapters in the book take a similar approach to the topic at hand and stimulate thinking in the same manner.

The worst thing I can say about this book is that some of the chapters focusing on women, especially the one by Chesney-Lind, seem to advocate treating women differently than men. Though it is not explicitly stated in the book, some of the passages regarding women could be interpreted to advocate treating women better than men (i.e. not incarcerating women with children as frequently or for as long as men). If you are a feminist like me, who thinks equal treatment must mean equal treatment, not better treatment, you may struggle with some of what is implied here. That, however, should not deter you from reading it. In fact, it may inspire some much-needed thought and dialogue in this area.

Overall, I recommend this book without reservation. Instructors looking for material for corrections courses this fall should definitely consider this piece. An individual student may not find all of it relevant, but the individual chapters can stand alone to provide a different perspective on many corrections topics. Students studying corrections should also keep this book in mind, both for academic enrichment and for reference on specific topics.

Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for students of criminal justice
Review: I chose this book because it is a collaborative effort of two of my favorite authors (Mauer and Chesney-Lind). Those familiar with the work of either of these two will not be disappointed. Anyone seeking a good understanding of the current operations of the criminal justice system, especially the enduring impact of incarceration on offenders, their families and the community as a whole, should definitely read this book. In fact, anyone seeking to study the criminal justice system, either as a student or a citizen, should read this book.

The topics covered in the book are too varied to adequately cover here. The overarching theme in each chapter, however, is this: Think about the consequences of current penal practices in the US. Moreover, think about all of the potential consequences, not just those readily apparent. For example, one chapter focuses on the denial of welfare benefits to persons convicted of drug offenses. For many former inmates, this means they cannot receive public assistance when released and are attempting to re-establish their lives in the free world. For some, it may mean that they cannot rejoin their families without jeopardizing their families' benefits (especially housing assistance). Regardless of your opinions on welfare and those who ought to be entitled to it, this chapter does make you question whether our national penal policies achieve their goals or do more harm than good. All of the chapters in the book take a similar approach to the topic at hand and stimulate thinking in the same manner.

The worst thing I can say about this book is that some of the chapters focusing on women, especially the one by Chesney-Lind, seem to advocate treating women differently than men. Though it is not explicitly stated in the book, some of the passages regarding women could be interpreted to advocate treating women better than men (i.e. not incarcerating women with children as frequently or for as long as men). If you are a feminist like me, who thinks equal treatment must mean equal treatment, not better treatment, you may struggle with some of what is implied here. That, however, should not deter you from reading it. In fact, it may inspire some much-needed thought and dialogue in this area.

Overall, I recommend this book without reservation. Instructors looking for material for corrections courses this fall should definitely consider this piece. An individual student may not find all of it relevant, but the individual chapters can stand alone to provide a different perspective on many corrections topics. Students studying corrections should also keep this book in mind, both for academic enrichment and for reference on specific topics.

Rating:
Summary: Prison is only the beginning
Review: The United States has become the world leader in incarceration of its citizens. As Vivien Stern notes in the last chapter of Invisible Punishment, much of Europe looks at us, wondering what in the world we are doing--is the U.S. crazy? Only 15% of people in France think that a 21 year old repeat burglar should be sent to prison at all. Here, such a "repeat offender would routinely be given a 20 year sentence.

Yet that is only the beginning of the story. In some communities (a detailed essay on Washington D.C. is included) almost one-half of all young men will eventually be incarcerated. This rate of incarceration destroys the entire social fabric of a community. Dating relationships are altered(a long-term stable relationship for a woman in such a community becomes an unrealistic dream--there simply are not enough men out of prison to go around!). The economics of extended families are perverted--when the bread winner is locked up (male or female), older women usually get the kids, and have to support them, as well as bear the considerable costs (mainly telephone calls and visits) of maintaining a relationship between the children and their incarcerated parent.

Add to this personal impact, the distorting effect on the macro economy caused by "exporting" poor black men from the inner city to white, rural areas, with resulting shift in jobs and census based federal money out of the ghetto toward rural areas. As Tracy Huling discusses, while this shift may be superficially attractive to residents of small town America, in fact experience over the last 15 years has demonstrated time and again that locating a prison in town is not the route to economic salvation, and can often be the beginning of a downward spiral ending in bankruptcy, with the costs imposed by the new prison far outweighing its economic benefits.

All in all, Invisible Punishment provides a look at our criminal justice system from a variety of unusual perspectives. Not just another book that bemoans the hard life of prisoners; instead it focuses on the costs of incarceration to the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: Prison is only the beginning
Review: The United States has become the world leader in incarceration of its citizens. As Vivien Stern notes in the last chapter of Invisible Punishment, much of Europe looks at us, wondering what in the world we are doing--is the U.S. crazy? Only 15% of people in France think that a 21 year old repeat burglar should be sent to prison at all. Here, such a "repeat offender would routinely be given a 20 year sentence.

Yet that is only the beginning of the story. In some communities (a detailed essay on Washington D.C. is included) almost one-half of all young men will eventually be incarcerated. This rate of incarceration destroys the entire social fabric of a community. Dating relationships are altered(a long-term stable relationship for a woman in such a community becomes an unrealistic dream--there simply are not enough men out of prison to go around!). The economics of extended families are perverted--when the bread winner is locked up (male or female), older women usually get the kids, and have to support them, as well as bear the considerable costs (mainly telephone calls and visits) of maintaining a relationship between the children and their incarcerated parent.

Add to this personal impact, the distorting effect on the macro economy caused by "exporting" poor black men from the inner city to white, rural areas, with resulting shift in jobs and census based federal money out of the ghetto toward rural areas. As Tracy Huling discusses, while this shift may be superficially attractive to residents of small town America, in fact experience over the last 15 years has demonstrated time and again that locating a prison in town is not the route to economic salvation, and can often be the beginning of a downward spiral ending in bankruptcy, with the costs imposed by the new prison far outweighing its economic benefits.

All in all, Invisible Punishment provides a look at our criminal justice system from a variety of unusual perspectives. Not just another book that bemoans the hard life of prisoners; instead it focuses on the costs of incarceration to the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: The end of liberalism
Review: This book is based on the idea that the level of policing which has brought an overall decrease in major crimes in American society is far too draconian to be considered effective. I am liberal enough to think that the worst aspect of law is the role that the government has assumed in attempting to set limits on the pleasure-seeking nature of American society, making itself the ultimate confiner of anyone who dares to commit petty offenses, particularly people who are self-treating themselves with drugs ("marijuana, felony possession of, collateral consequences, 5," is an entry in the index of this book) which are now available in the form of a chemical equivalent with a prescription from a physician. The social context of such draconian measures are the subject of INVISIBLE PUNISHMENT/ THE COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES OF MASS IMPRISONMENT, edited by Marc Mauer and Meda Chesney-Lind.

My favorite chapter is by Meda Chesney-Lind, "Imprisoning Women: The Unintended Victims of Mass Imprisonment." As an enormous portion of American society which generally can be considered non-threatening to anyone who is not afraid of being called a heterosexist male chauvinist pig, women have typically conformed to whatever behavior has been most socially acceptable, and the crimes mentioned most often in this book ought to be considered more pathetic than anything else. The factors (I'll stop listing these when I get to the word "random") which seem out of place in any society which would consider itself liberal include the following:

"get tough" sentencing policies (p. 79)

"vengeful equity" (p. 80)

the number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States is now about ten times greater than the number of women incarcerated in all of Western Europe. (p. 81)

far higher rates of physical and sexual abuse (p. 83)

the criminalization of girls' survival strategies, such as running away from home (p. 84)

working in retail may actually increase their involvement in certain property crimes, much like women's employment in bar and entertainment outlets often increases women's likelihood of getting involved in prostitution and drug abuse. (p. 85)

because they made so little money, 20 percent of the active women dealers reported twenty or more drug deals per day. (pp. 85-86)

women's deteriorating economic conditions (p. 86)

increased penalties (mandatory sentences) for drug offenses (p. 88)

Many women are being returned to prison not for new offenses but for technical parole violations because they fail to pass random drug tests. (p. 90)

Rating:
Summary: The end of liberalism
Review: This book is based on the idea that the level of policing which has brought an overall decrease in major crimes in American society is far too draconian to be considered effective. I am liberal enough to think that the worst aspect of law is the role that the government has assumed in attempting to set limits on the pleasure-seeking nature of American society, making itself the ultimate confiner of anyone who dares to commit petty offenses, particularly people who are self-treating themselves with drugs ("marijuana, felony possession of, collateral consequences, 5," is an entry in the index of this book) which are now available in the form of a chemical equivalent with a prescription from a physician. The social context of such draconian measures are the subject of INVISIBLE PUNISHMENT/ THE COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES OF MASS IMPRISONMENT, edited by Marc Mauer and Meda Chesney-Lind.

My favorite chapter is by Meda Chesney-Lind, "Imprisoning Women: The Unintended Victims of Mass Imprisonment." As an enormous portion of American society which generally can be considered non-threatening to anyone who is not afraid of being called a heterosexist male chauvinist pig, women have typically conformed to whatever behavior has been most socially acceptable, and the crimes mentioned most often in this book ought to be considered more pathetic than anything else. The factors (I'll stop listing these when I get to the word "random") which seem out of place in any society which would consider itself liberal include the following:

"get tough" sentencing policies (p. 79)

"vengeful equity" (p. 80)

the number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States is now about ten times greater than the number of women incarcerated in all of Western Europe. (p. 81)

far higher rates of physical and sexual abuse (p. 83)

the criminalization of girls' survival strategies, such as running away from home (p. 84)

working in retail may actually increase their involvement in certain property crimes, much like women's employment in bar and entertainment outlets often increases women's likelihood of getting involved in prostitution and drug abuse. (p. 85)

because they made so little money, 20 percent of the active women dealers reported twenty or more drug deals per day. (pp. 85-86)

women's deteriorating economic conditions (p. 86)

increased penalties (mandatory sentences) for drug offenses (p. 88)

Many women are being returned to prison not for new offenses but for technical parole violations because they fail to pass random drug tests. (p. 90)