“Beyond Bars: A Path Forward from 50 Years of Mass Incarceration in the United States”

The title of this post is the title of this new (open access) book editted by Kristen Budd, David Lane, Glenn Muschert and Jason Smith. Here is how it is described:  

The year 2023 marks 50 years of mass incarceration in the United States.  This timely volume highlights and addresses pressing social problems associated with the U.S.’s heavy reliance on mass imprisonment.  In an atmosphere of charged political debate, including “tough on crime” rhetoric, the editors bring together scholars and experts in the criminal justice field to provide the most up-to-date science on mass incarceration and its ramifications on justice-impacted people and our communities.

This book offers practical solutions for advocates, policy and lawmakers, and the wider public for addressing mass incarceration and its effects to create a more just, fair and safer society.

The Table of Contents lists 10 substantive chapters in this text, and here are just a few of the many chapters that may be of particular interest to sentencing fans:

Mass incarceration’s lifetime guarantee by Ashley Nellis

Mass incarceration and the collateral problems of parole by Kimberly D. Richman

The end of mass incarceration: opportunities for reform by Francis T. Cullen, Justin T. Pickett, and Cheryl Lero Jonson

The final chapter of this book, authored by Cullen et al., develops the thesis that the “era of mass incarceration has ended,” and it concludes with this paragraph:

In closing, historical turning points are not always apparent to those in their midst but become evident only in retrospect some years later.  Thus, we trust we have been convincing in showing that mass incarceration has ended — both in terms of the growth of prison populations and the punitive logic that fueled the movement.  This good news, however, will be squandered if a collateral movement to transform American corrections lays dormant.  However, a shortcut may be possible.  It is insufficient to identify past mistakes; future choices must occur.  The opportunity for change is palpable.  Are we up to creating a new era of reform — a humanitarian revolution in corrections?