THE JAIL IS EVERYWHERE

A collection of writing spotlighting the “monster” that is the American prison system.

“There is a quiet jail boom occurring across the United States,” write editors Norton, Pelot-Hobbs, and Schept, all of whom have written extensively on criminal justice in the U.S. What they and the other unapologetically leftist contributors to this book mean is that prisons have assumed outsize roles in what they see as an ongoing American class war. Using data from cities and towns all over the U.S., the contributors demonstrate that with every new jail built, an infrastructure that promotes racism, sexism, and income inequality becomes increasingly more powerful. Jasmine Heiss suggests that where poverty is highest, “incarceration and policing is often the only ‘fix’ on offer for social crises across the urban-to-rural spectrum.” Her piece clearly exposes the insidious nature of “the local jail.” The brutal realities masked by this “carceral humanism,” which recasts punishment as a form of social service, include a shredded social safety net and the disappearance of jobs offering a decent standard of living. Furthermore, note the editors, fighting the system of incarceration has become increasingly difficult because the system, supported by powerful politicians on the right, “keeps changing shape” as it grows. Yet there’s still hope. Interviews with James Kilgore, an activist for reformist programs designed to treat prisoners with greater dignity, and Dawn Harrington and Gicola Lane, two women who offer “support, education, [and] advocacy” to families of the incarcerated, suggest that change can still come about through dedicated effort. Though the text is often too academic for general readers, social justice activists and those with an interest in criminal justice issues will especially appreciate these well-researched, thoughtful essays that reveal just how much power government policies have given to the American carceral system.

Substantive reading for a limited audience.