{"product_id":"prisons-make-us-safer-isbn-9780807029527","title":"\"Prisons Make Us Safer\"","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn accessible guide for activists, educators, and all who are interested in understanding how the prison system oppresses communities and harms individuals.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to 5% of the global population, the United States has nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners—a total of over 2 million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500%.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJournalist Victoria Law explains how racism and social control were the catalysts for mass incarceration and have continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves, to the laws passed under the “War Against Drugs” campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people. She breaks down these complicated issues into four main parts: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   1. The rise and cause of mass incarceration \u003cbr\u003e   2. Myths about prison \u003cbr\u003e   3. Misconceptions about incarcerated people \u003cbr\u003e   4. How to end mass incarceration \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies the 21 key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration, including: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   • The system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it \u003cbr\u003e   • Incarceration is necessary to keep our society safe \u003cbr\u003e   • Prison is an effective way to get people into drug treatment \u003cbr\u003e   • Private prison corporations drive mass incarceration \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Prisons Make Us Safer”\u003c\/i\u003e is a necessary guide for all who are interested in learning about the cause and rise of mass incarceration and how we can dismantle it.\u003ci\u003eA Note on Language\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 1: WHAT DRIVES THE MASS INCARCERATION BOOM? MYTHS ABOUT THE CAUSE OF MASS INCARCERATION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 1\u003cbr\u003eThe system of mass incarceration is flawed and not working as designed (or, A brief history).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 2\u003cbr\u003eWe need prisons to make us safer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 3\u003cbr\u003ePrisons are places of rehabilitation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 4\u003cbr\u003ePrivate prison corporations drive mass incarceration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 5\u003cbr\u003ePrivate corporations and profit from prison labor drive mass incarceration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 6\u003cbr\u003eRace has nothing to do with mass incarceration (or, If people of color are disproportionately incarcerated, it’s because they commit more crimes).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 7\u003cbr\u003e“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” People need to take personal responsibility for their actions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 2: THE MYTHS OF PRISONS AS SERVICE PROVIDERS AND SAFETY NETS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 8\u003cbr\u003eJails and prisons provide people with needed mental health care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 9\u003cbr\u003ePeople in prison “jump the line” for life-saving  medical care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 10\u003cbr\u003eIncarceration is an effective way to get people into drug treatment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 3: THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WALLS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 11\u003cbr\u003eMass incarceration only affects Black cisgender men.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 12\u003cbr\u003eBringing up a history of abuse and violence is simply an “abuse excuse.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 13\u003cbr\u003eMass incarceration and immigrant detention are unrelated issues that can be addressed separately.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 4: HOW DO WE END MASS INCARCERATION?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 14\u003cbr\u003eMost people are in prison for nonviolent drug offenses. Let them out and we’ll end mass incarceration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 15\u003cbr\u003ePeople in prison don’t resist or organize against abusive conditions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 16\u003cbr\u003ePrisons keep us safe from murderers and rapists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 17\u003cbr\u003eIncarceration and sex offender registries are necessary to keep our children safe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 18\u003cbr\u003eThe system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 19\u003cbr\u003eWe should make our prisons more like those in Norway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 20\u003cbr\u003ePrisons are the only logical and evident way to address violent crime and meet the needs of victims.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 21\u003cbr\u003eEven if societal and political conditions are to blame, there’s nothing we can do about it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor Further Reading\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e“Convincing, creatively effective arguments for the dismantling of mass incarceration.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Law has offered us a very important tool. Her careful and accessible analysis, her feminist approach, and her methodical demystification of widely held views about incarceration enable precisely the kind of understanding we need at this moment.”\u003cbr\u003e—Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Law brilliantly uses facts, figures, and moving and enraging stories from incarcerated people to bring to light important and misunderstood facets of our singularly massive criminal legal system. . . . An essential book that demands attention and action.”\u003cbr\u003e—Piper Kerman, author of \u003ci\u003eOrange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this timely, powerfully persuasive, and relevant book, Law looks at some of the most damaging myths and misconceptions about mass incarceration. This is a must-read for those interested in the truth about mass incarceration and solutions to address it.”\u003cbr\u003e—Talitha LeFlouria, author of \u003ci\u003eChained in Silence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Think you haven’t fallen prey to the myths around mass incarceration? Think again. . . . This is the book we need, as movements sweep across the US challenging injustices in policing and incarceration, to show us our history, analyze our current policies, and chart the way forward.”\u003cbr\u003e—Jeanne Theoharis, author of \u003ci\u003eA More Beautiful and Terrible History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eVictoria Law\u003c\/b\u003e has been researching and writing about incarceration, gender, and resistance since 2000. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eResistance Behind Bars\u003c\/i\u003e and the coauthor of \u003ci\u003ePrison By Any Other Name\u003c\/i\u003e. Law has written about prisons and other forms of confinement for outlets including the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBloomberg Businessweek\u003c\/i\u003e. She is a cofounder of Books Through Bars–NYC and the longtime editor of the zine \u003ci\u003eTenacious: Art and Writings by Women in Prison\u003c\/i\u003e. Connect with her at victorialaw.net or on Twitter @LVikkiml.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302541709541,"sku":"NP9780807029527","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807029527.jpg?v=1767735135","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/prisons-make-us-safer-isbn-9780807029527","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}