Synopses & Reviews
Consider the following: Over 1.7 million Americans live in prison, a three hundred percent increase since 1980; In some US cities, one third of all young Black men are in jail, on probation or awaiting trial; In California, spending on prisons has eclipsed allocations for higher education; Starbucks, Jansport and Microsoft all use prison labor to package their products; Corrections Corporations of America, the nation's largest private jailer, has been dubbed a 'theme stock for the 90s.' Why is criminal justice so central to American politics? Lockdown America not only documents the horrors and absurdities of militarized policing, prisons, a fortified border, and the federalization of the war on crime, it also explains the political and economic history behind the massive crackdown. Written in accessible and vivid prose, Lockdown America will propel readers toward a deeper understanding of the links between crime and politics in a period of gathering economic crisis.
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Lockdown America deserves to be read by all sides of the political debate. (Village Voice)
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[E]ssential reading for those in law enforcement and politics...who are attracted by the rhetoric of zero tolerance.(Times Literary Supplement)
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Parenti's debunking of alternative explanations for the rise in incarceration is forceful and compelling. (The American Prospect)
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Terrifying, informative and gripping. (New York Press)
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This dark, unflinching look at what our nation has become . . . cannot fail to generate serious thought about issues we prefer to lock away in darkness. (Christian Science Monitor)
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Lockdown America is a fast read, angry and compelling. (Philadelphia City Paper)
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[E]xhaustively documented...deserves a full hearing from anyone serious about ending the often horrific realities of the criminal justice system. (Washington Post Book World)
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[I]n the best tradition of investigative journalism, paced like a fine novel, it carries the authority of meticulous academic research. (The Independent
Synopsis
An updated edition of the classic examination of the link between crime and politics.Why is criminal justice so central to American politics? Lockdown America not only documents the horrors and absurdities of militarized policing, prisons, a fortified border, and the federalization of the war on crime, it also explains the political and economic history behind the massive crackdown. This fully updated and expanded edition includes an afterword on the War on Terror, a meditation on surveillance and the specter of terrorism as they help reanimate the criminal justice attack. Written in vivid prose, Lockdown America will propel readers toward a deeper understanding of the links between crime and politics in a period of gathering economic crisis.
Synopsis
Lockdown America documents the horrors and absurdities of militarized policing, prisons, a fortified border, and the war on drugs. Its accessible and vivid prose makes clear the links between crime and politics in a period of gathering economic crisis.
About the Author
Christian Parenti is the author of The Soft Cage and The Freedom, and is currently writing a book on Afghanistan. He is a visiting fellow at the CUNY Graduate School’s Center for Place, Culture and Politics, and his articles appear regularly in The Nation. He lives in New York City.