Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire

In the prison business, all roads lead to Texas. A pioneer in criminal justice severity--from assembly-line executions to supermax isolation, from mandatory sentencing to prison privatization--Texas is the most locked-down state in the most incarcerated country in the world. Texas Tough, a sweeping history of American imprisonment from the days of slavery to the present, explains how a plantation-based penal system once dismissed as barbaric became a template for the nation.

Drawing on the individual stories as well as authoritative research, Texas Tough reveals the true origins of America's prison juggernaut and points toward a more just and humane future.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Picador USA
Published: 10/26/2010
ISBN: 9780312680473
Pages: 484
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.40d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 11/28/2010 pg. 28