American Corrections

Clear (criminal justice, Rutgers U.), Cole (emeritus, political science, U. of Connecticut), and Reisig (criminology and criminal justice, Arizona State U.) present the tenth edition of their text on the American correctional system. They open with six chapters discussing the context, including the history of correctional thought and practice and its development in the US, the law of corrections, and types of offenders (or "correctional clients"). They then present eleven chapters on correctional practices, covering short-term incarceration, probation, intermediate sanctions and community corrections, incarceration, the prison experience, incarceration of women, institutional management and programs, release from incarceration, supervision in the community, and correction for juveniles. The final five chapters discuss topical issues and perspectives, including incarceration trends, race and ethnicity, the death penalty, community justice, and future trends. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)