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The two-volume Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities aims to provide a critical overview of penal institutions within a historical and contemporary framework. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, a fact that has caused lawmakers, advocates, and legal professionals to rethink punishment policies as well as develop new policies on prisoner education and rehabilitation.

Issues of race, gender, and class are fully integrated throughout in order to demonstrate the complexity of the implementation and intended results of incarceration. The Encyclopedia contains biographies, articles describing important legal statutes, and detailed and authoritative descriptions of the major prisons in the United States. Comparative data and examples are employed to analyze the American system within an international context. The Encyclopedia’s 400 entries are all written by recognized authorities. The appendix contains a comprehensive listing of every federal prison in the U.S., complete with facility details and service information.

Key Themes

Juvenile Justice
Labor
Prison Architecture
Prison Populations
Prison Reform
Privatization
Race, Gender, Class
Security and Classification
Sentencing Policy and Laws
Staff
Theories of Punishment
Treatment Programs

Editorial Board 
Stephanie Bush-Baskette, National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) 
Jeanne Flavin, Fordham University 
Esther Heffernan, Edgewood College 
Jim Thomas, Northern Illinois University