Preface
Acknowledgments

1. Background and History
History of Prisons in the United States: Colonial Era to the Civil War
Changes in Incarceration: Post Civil War to the 1960s
Transition to the Modern Carceral State: 1960s to Present
Conclusion
References

2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions
Incarceration and Inequality
Contributors to Mass Incarceration
The Criminal Justice System
Problems with the Prison System
Penal Reform and Decarceration
Conclusion
References

3. Perspectives
Inside Out, Annalie Buscarino
The Adultification of Black , Mercier
Do It Differently, Megan S.
Learning from Anger Management, Penni Doyle
The Empowerment Library, Nanna Bailey


4. Profiles
People
Angela Y. Davis (1944– )
John J. DiIulio, Jr. (1958– )
David Garland (1955– )
Ruth Wilson Gilmore (1950– )
George L. Kelling (1935–2019)
Joan Petersilia (1951–2019)
Sister Helen Prejean (1939– )
Lawrence W. Sherman (1949– )
Bryan Stevenson (1959– )
James Q. Wilson (1931–2012)

Organizations
The Innocence Project and Innocence Network
The Marshall Project
Prison Policy Initiative
The Sentencing Project

References

5. Data and Documents
Data
Figure 5.1: Total Prison Population, 1925–2023
Figure 5.2: State and Federal Prison Populations, 1980–2023
Figure 5.3: Change in Incarceration Rates, 1980–2023

Documents
Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address (1985)
President George H.W. Bush's Address at the National Peace Officers Memorial Day Service in Washington, DC (1989)
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994)
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996)
Miller v. Alabama (2012)
President Barack Obama's Remarks at the NAACP Conference in Philadelphia, PA (2015)

References

6. Resources
Books and Reports
Journalism and Media Resources
Places
Websites and Databases
References

7. Chronology

Glossary
Index