Scan barcode
A review by rick2
American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer
2.0
Anecdotal to be sure. But this book is interesting enough. The authors attempts at contextualizing his experience fall a bit flat. It’s the same tropes that have been used before. I found the analysis lacking. But the first hand descriptions of how the authors personality changes over his year as a guard were fascinating.
De Tocqueville is brought out and quoted a lot because of course he is. De Tocqueville is a rent-a-quote for aspiring political writers. And I got whiplash from the use of “the modern prison system began in 1980.” Only to hear a chapter or two later about how “the modern prison system began in the 1800s” “no wait it started with indentured servitude back in pre colonial days” pick one. Support your thesis. Or don’t claim that the system stems from a single point. Is it possible that it’s a nuanced system comprised of centuries of huge institutional bias?
Don’t read this for its analysis. Read it for a first hand account of working as a correctional officer in a private prison. That alone is eye opening.
De Tocqueville is brought out and quoted a lot because of course he is. De Tocqueville is a rent-a-quote for aspiring political writers. And I got whiplash from the use of “the modern prison system began in 1980.” Only to hear a chapter or two later about how “the modern prison system began in the 1800s” “no wait it started with indentured servitude back in pre colonial days” pick one. Support your thesis. Or don’t claim that the system stems from a single point. Is it possible that it’s a nuanced system comprised of centuries of huge institutional bias?
Don’t read this for its analysis. Read it for a first hand account of working as a correctional officer in a private prison. That alone is eye opening.