Reviews (1)

A realistic look into the current Siberian prison experience
I saw this book in the bookstore of the Pompidou (which could be one of the better modern art bookstores in the world).The photos are fantastic, very human and each one tells a story of a life that none of us can imagine.As great as the photographs are, the text at the end of the book enriched the experience far more - it gives you a context for his photography, how contrived the censorship could be (and how funny - the story about the tennis court is hilarious).The bottom line is that you get to see something that nobody else has photographed, in a high quality format, that will educate you and give you something more than the typical horror stories of the former Soviet Gulag system.If you're like me and you love photography that is unique and really MEANS something, buy this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. Individual Photographer    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photoessays & Documentaries    5. Photography    6. Pictorial works    7. Prisoners    8. Prisons    9. Russia (Federation)    10. Siberia    11. Subjects & Themes - Travel - General    12. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Europe    13. Photographic reportage    14. Photography / General    15. Russia   

Subjects:  1. Asylums    2. Care    3. Correctional institutions    4. History - General History    5. History - U.S.    6. Human Services    7. Illinois    8. Mentally ill    9. Penology    10. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    11. Services For The Mentally Challenged    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Treatment Of Offenders    15. United States - 19th Century    16. United States - State & Local - General    17. Dix, Dorothea Lynde    18. English    19. Journeys    20. Literary studies: 19th century    21. Mental health services    22. Other prose: 19th century    23. Poverty    24. Social history    25. USA   

Reviews (3)

NO PAIN NO GAIN
VERY COOL BOOK ON THE ART OF TORTURE, SADIST AND OTHER FOLKS INTERESTED IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY WILL FIND THIS BOOK INFORMATIVE

With a turn of the screw, this review is for you
With The Instruments of Torture, Mr.Kerrigan has written a superbly informative and gruesome journey into the hellish world of torture. He illustrates his book with nightmarish visions of a world gone mad! The author's text is both well researched and entertaining. This book ranks with Innes's History of Tortureand Farrington's History of Punishment and Torture. Only John Swain's masterpiece The Pleasures of the Torture Chamber ranks higher!

A real page turner
An action-packed trip through the tools and devices that make torture memorable, without getting bogged down in the "moral" issues involved (with the exception of the socially manditory epilogue entitled "Torture Bad"). Exacting and well-illustrated examples of torture instruments and techniques grouped by type and design.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Penology    5. Reference    6. Torture    7. World - General    8. History / Reference   

Reviews (10)

Bad Trip in Paradise
There are very few things in this world that could be worse than being sentenced to a long stretch in a Thai prison.I picked up The Damage Done while on holiday in Bangkok and my trip certainly took a turn for the frighteningly paranoid.
Shocking, Relentless, and Exhausting
These would be the first three adjectives I've use to describe this book.
will change the way you think
before reading damaged done i didnt think i would have the compassion i now have for warren fellows a convicted drug dealer. This book shocked me and and made me realize that there is always room for compassion and forgivness and that every body deserves basic humanity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography: general    2. Crime & criminology    3. General    4. Penology    5. Thailand    6. True Crime / Espionage    7. c 1970 to c 1980    8. c 1980 to c 1990    9. Biography & Autobiography / General    10. PRISONERS_BIOGRAPHY    11. PRISONS    12. True crime   

Reviews (6)

Doing Time
Long-time correctional administrator Jim Willett and his college roommate, Ron Rozelle, have produced an exceptionally interesting book on prison life from a very personal perspective.Drawing on Willett's distinguished career with the Texas Department of Corrections that spanned three decades, the authors bring to light aspects of a prison employee's life that rarely find their way into print.
A look behind prison walls
Jim Willett was what some people might think of as a contradiction in terms--a compassionate prison warden.He did his job, which included giving the signal for executions to take place, while inwardly questioning the humanity of capital punishment.This is a fascinating story of a man who began his career in the prison system as a part-time guard, trying to earn some money for college.He fully intended to leave after graduation, but somehow he never did and as the years went by and the promotions came, he continued in the work for which he seemed so well-suited.This book is written in the first person and this adds to the immediacy of the description of prison life and the relations between prisoner and prison employee.The stories which are told in this book show the depths to which human beings can go and also the common humanity which binds us together.This is a fascinating and well-written book.

An excellent read
Rarely is a 'civilian' afforded the opportunity of viewing the prison system from such an honest and insightful perspective.Messrs. Willett and Rozelle have succeeded in creating a compelling work of non-fiction that reads as well as a good work of fiction.My appraisal of Mr. Willett is that of a totally dedicated, honest and compassionate man who did an outstanding job--few men could have done better.This book will remain a permanent part of my personal library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1949-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Criminal Procedure    5. Executions and executioners    6. Law    7. Penology    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Prison wardens    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Texas    12. Willett, Jim,    13. Prisons    14. True Stories   

Subjects:  1. Capital punishment    2. Criminology    3. Government policy    4. Imprisonment    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Prisons    8. Reference    9. Sociology    10. United States    11. Political Science / General    12. USA   

Reviews (2)

Excellent History
Civil War Prisoner of War history is a very simple four-note song requiring little or no thought to answer almost all the questions.
Shameful treatment
Although numerous books on individual Civil War prison camps were recently published, there has been relatively little professional research on POW policy during the last twenty years. While some of the recent prison books are of questionable scholarly value, Sanders' work is wholly professional. Although there will no doubt be some criticism of his harsh judgment of both governments, I found his arguments mostly convincing.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Civil War, 1861-1865    3. Confederate States of America    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History - U.S.    7. History: American    8. Military - Other    9. Military - United States    10. Military prisons    11. Penology    12. Prisoners and prisons    13. Prisoners of war    14. United States    15. United States - Civil War    16. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    17. USA   

Reviews (1)

Excellent, current textbook
As an adjunct professor at the University of Central, I use this book for supplemental materials for my class (it was too late in the semester to order for the main text). The up-to-date, detailed information isaccompanied by review questions that open floor discussions in theclassroom.With the ever-changing world of criminal justice, it isimportant that students be informed of current trends. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Correction Of Crime And Delinquency    2. Criminal Law - General    3. Parole    4. Penology    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Probation    10. United States    11. Penology & punishment    12. Political Science / Law Enforcement   

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    2. General    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Penology    7. United States - General    8. Violence in Society    9. Social Science / African-American Studies   

Subjects:  1. Civil Service    2. Civil Service Occupations    3. Correctional personnel    4. Corrections    5. Examinations    6. Examinations, questions, etc    7. Penology    8. Study Aids    9. Study Guides    10. Test Prep    11. Tests    12. United States    13. Careers guidance    14. Civil service & public sector    15. Penology & punishment    16. Study & learning skills    17. Work & labour   

Reviews (2)

LBJ - O.K.
This book tends to becomes repetitous, but is still worth reading. Long Binh Jail: An Oral History...
From August, 1970 to September, 1971, I was a guard on the twelve-hour nightshift at Long Binh Jail, the U.S. Army's stockade in Vietnam.And so, I had a special interest in reading Cecil Barr Curry's "oralhistory" of "LBJ".It could be said, I suppose, that mydirect involvement with the place prevented me from making anobjectiveevaluation of Curry's book.But Ibelieve it gave me an advantage indeterminingif Curry's account of this "notorious" episode inAmerica's venture in Vietnam was accurate.And, for the most part, itwas.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. General    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - Vietnam War    7. American history: Vietnam War    8. Army    9. Long Binh (Dong Nai)    10. Personal narratives, American    11. Prisoners and prisons, American    12. Prisons    13. The Americas    14. United States    15. Vietnam    16. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975   

Reviews (3)

Awful, absolutely awful
This book is absolutely awful.It's full of ad hominem remarks and plays to the emotion of women being in prision.Why are most people (not just women) in prison there?Because they commited a crime!!!The author blames men for most of these women's crimes throughout the book - they were abused at a young age by men, they were poor . . . excuses.When will people take responsibility for their actions?The book has some beautiful photography - they should have taken the ink used for the text and put in some more pictures.Don't buy it, don't read it.I'm sorry I wasted my time.

Compassionate photos and text about women in prison
This an extraordinary book of photographs and text about women in prison. The title of the book is an apt and ambiguous description of the plight of the women prisoners she describes, for two of her major points are that they generally lead more barren lives than men within prison walls and also are often given heavier sentences than men for comparable crimes. Jails on pictures
The authors visited about 40 prisons. The pictures she took are of very good quality and very expressive. She interviewed the women in jail. The stories of those prisoners are really moving. It's a moving, respectfulbook about the life of women in jail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Interviews    3. Penology    4. Photo Essays    5. Photography    6. Photojournalism    7. Pictorial works    8. Reformatories for women    9. Sociology    10. United States    11. Women prisoners    12. Women's Studies - General    13. Individual photographers    14. Photographs: collections    15. Photography / General    16. Prisons    17. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Corrections    2. Government policy    3. History    4. Jurisprudence    5. Penology    6. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Sociology    10. Study and teaching    11. United States    12. Political Science / Law Enforcement   

Subjects:  1. Correctional personnel    2. Criminal Justice Administration    3. Criminal Procedure    4. Criminal justice, Administrati    5. Criminal justice, Administration of    6. Criminology    7. Penology    8. Prison administration    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. Courts & procedure    13. Criminal law    14. Law / Criminal Procedure    15. Penology & punishment   

Reviews (27)

A Telling Parody of the CEO Cult
Borowitz writes an understated book attacking the now-discredited CEO-as-god/You-Too-Can-Be-Rich genre.Some of this book is very funny, but it is funny because it is a straight-faced reductio ad absurdum of the corporate cheer leading that tried to justify the ugly 1990s financial bubble.
Nothing Boring about Borowitz
Borowitz has written a truly funny book, and it's extra special because it's a satire of another concept others have taken so seriously.It's not so funny, though, when you really get "surprised" from behind in prison, if you know what I mean.

SLICK, HILAROUS CORPORATE SATIRE
Modern corporate world is a sty reeking of corporate scandals. This, despite a whole deluge of corporate "gurus" and biz books dispensing truckloads of advice on how to better run your company, manage your time, manage your employees, etc etc. Read more

Subjects:  1. Business And Society    2. Business/Economics    3. Crime And Criminals    4. Executives    5. Form - Parodies    6. General    7. Humor    8. Penology    9. Prisoners    10. Professional ethics    11. United States    12. Humor / General    13. Humour   

Reviews (2)

This book was very unrealistic
Let me start by saying that I'm not in prison, and have never been in prison. I don't even expect to go to prison - I just enjoy reading about the sociology of prison culture. Recommended reading for soon-to-be intmates.
Going To Prison? is a unique and practical guide for the first-time offender to help ease the transition to prison life, answering all the questions that arise following the sentencing arising from a guilty verdict or plea. Going To Prison? is a practical compendium of valuable informationfor the family and friends of soon-to-be inmates as well. Going To Prison?is also highly recommended reading for clergy, social workers, lawyers,prison guards, correctional facility administrators, probation officers --and youth counselors working with "at risk" teenagers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Procedure    2. Law    3. Penology   

Reviews (2)

Brilliant Research
ITS ABOUT TIME co-authored by Austin and Irwin, based on cutting edge research, I highly recommend this book for the truth about prison.
At last I have found a book which takes a realistic look at the problems of crime and prison.I taught Texas inmates for eight years during the recent prison expansion.People were usually surprised when I told them how much I enjoyed teaching inmates.The longer I worked in prison, the more I became concerned about the misinformation, based on fear instead of fact, which the public had been receiving from the news media and politicians.In order for our society to survive, we must stop reacting emotionally and start thinking rationally about solutions which will make a lasting difference in a positive way.Prison expansion in the United States has cost taxpayers millions of dollars for the buildings alone.But the price inhuman terms is far greater.This book is essential reading for every citizen who is concerned about how our government is spending tax dollars. Lorna Rios ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Penology    3. Prisons    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. United States    7. American studies    8. Law / Criminal Procedure    9. USA   

Reviews (9)

Riveting, Shocking, Infuriating and Brilliant
All the verbs above describe the text and the man. Incarcerated, unjustly at that, at the age of 18, this beautiful Man-Child went on to become a brilliant writer, and also, tragically, a martyr of 20th century oppression. Killed in prison at the age of 29, George Jackson's living body is no longer here with us, still his spirit shines and lives on through his probing literature. Much can be said of prison literare, however to consider George Jackson's writings 'prison literature' would be to minimize its power. George Jackson's writings are revolutionary literature par excellence; his writings stand next to Fanon, Rodney and Trotsky. Let us remember George Jackson by reading him, and let us not forget what was done to him. Long Live George Jackson.

An Essential Text
A must read for people of all ages, races, nationalities, genders, classes, et. al. A masterpiece of the form. Gloriously flawed, like all of us. So much more than the sum of its parts. George and Jonathan Live.

Worthwhile but don't get carried away
This collection of letters by Jackson is well worth reading for several reasons.First, as several other reviewers point out, it provides a valuable (if by now slightly dated) insight into the American penal system.Second, it illustrates the tragedy of people with Jackson's potential being diverted (whether you believe by racism, socio-economic circumstances, poor judgment, or whatever) into the self-perpetuating criminal/penal complex.However, I think some of the raves are overrated.Jackson clearly was an intelligent man who could have accomplished much if his engergies were otherwise directed.But he lacks perspective; the tone is often stridently self-justifying, and he lacks any real moral insight into the magnitude of the violence and pain he inflicted on others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1941-1971    2. African American prisoners    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Black American Sociology    5. California    6. Correspondence    7. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    8. General    9. Jackson, George,    10. Prison Life    11. Sociology    12. Biography: general    13. Jackson, George    14. North America   

Reviews (1)

Important Precursor to Goffman and Foucault
No reviews for this book?Hard to believe given the number of used copies available.Surely many have read "Society of Captives"?Read more

Subjects:  1. Penology    2. Social Science    3. Sociology    4. Penology & punishment    5. Social Science / Penology    6. Social history   

Reviews (1)

Wow!
This is an essential reference. Noel Justice has done an amazing job of gathering the references and synthesizing a very complex and diverse array of "spear and arrow points" in this volume. I can also recommend "Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin". Well worth the rather high price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Antiquities    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    5. Implements    6. Indians of North America    7. Material Culture    8. Native American Archaeology    9. Penology    10. Projectile points    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Southwest, New    14. United States - State & Local - General    15. American history: pre-Columbian period, BCE to c 1500    16. Central Southern states    17. North American archaeology    18. Reference works    19. USA