Prison nation The warehousing of America's poor

Wright, a prisoner in Washington State's Monroe Correctional Complex, and prison activist Herivel have compiled 41 previously published essays that chronicle the injustices of the U.S. penal system. The essays can be read separately or as a unit, for each is drawn like a magnet to the theme: America is warehousing its poor in prisons, mistreating them, and earning a profit from this mistreatment. The essays, many by reputable writers (e.g., Noam Chomsky, Mark Dow, Judith Green, and Mumia Abu-Jamal), cover the lack of legal counsel, the paucity of healthcare, the racial overtones, the plight of women prisoners, the impact of the war on drugs, and numerous other related subjects. One especially poignant essay describes a prison's effect on the town in which it is located. The writers hammer away relentlessly at their themes, which they back up with careful documentation. Although it may not have strong appeal for the general reader, this work certainly should find a place in the crime collections of academic and larger public libraries.-Frances Sandiford, formerly with Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.