Harm in American Penology

Download or read book Harm in American Penology written by Todd R. Clear and published by Suny Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes the sources and results of the fourfold increase in the U.S. correctional population since 1970. It considers the following themes: – the value of punitiveness, defined as penal harm; – research on crime and criminals; – concerns about victims of crime, and; – concerns about community safety. It also analyzes the relationship between social problems, such as poverty and crime, and penal policy during the twenty-year period of penal expansion. The book concludes that the growth in corrections was not caused by crime, nor has it reduced crime, and that proposals for expanding incarceration cannot be justified.