 | GetTextbooks.com Compare Prices & Save up to 90% | | |
|
| Login | Sign up | Settings | New! iPhone App | My Wish List | My iBundle |
 | | Penitentiaries, Reformatories and Chain Gangs: Social Theory and the History of Punishment in Nineteenth Century America by Mark Colvin ISBN-10: 9780312173272 ISBN-10: 0-312-17327-X ISBN-13: 9780312173272 ISBN-13: 978-0-312-17327-2 Hardcover 1997-09 St. Martin's Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The definition of punishment in America has been subjected to a variety of changes and has served as the basis for much debate over the course of U.S. history. Just how far the reach of penal authority should extend, and exactly what limits to it should be imposed, are questions explored here by sociologist Dr. Mark Colvin, who has extensive experience working in penitentiaries and correction agencies. | ||
Reviews | ||
Comprehensive and Informative The penitentiary, reformatory and chain gang were all developed during the 19th century, which belies the importance of that century to American history and the history of punishment in particular as it forms the bridge between earlier forms of punishment in Colonial America and the development of the modern penal system. Mark Colvin has made a solid contribution to this history with an informative, well-researched and well-written study of the evolution of punishment in America. Taking his cues from such theorists as Durkheim, Foucault, Elias and Marxist notions of punishment, Colvin applies their theories to each major step in the development of the American penal system. He examines how punishment differs from reform, examines the establishment of women's reformatories during and after the Civil War, and, most interestingly, traces the development of the Southern chain gang and leasing of prisoners to companies as an extension of antebellum slavery. Engrossing and comprehensive, this is a study recommended to all those interested in the roots of the modern justice system. | ||