The fact that America has the highest rate of incarceration per capita of any Western nation heightens the relevance of a reference book about American prisons. The author of Encyclopedia of American Prisons, Carl Sifakis, a former crime reporter, now writes extensively on criminology and deviant behavior. This is his latest work in a series of volumes published by Facts on File. Some of the other titles from this series include: Encyclopedia of American Crime (1982), Encyclopedia of Assassinations (2001), and The Mafia Encyclopedia: From Accardo to Zwillman (1999).
Encyclopedia of American Prisons is historical in scope and covers more than two centuries of American penal history. The introduction provides a short history of penal policy as it has developed over the decades. Early nineteenth century philosophy espoused that prisons were houses of correction and punishment. Prisoners had none of the rights that they have today, as prisons were “hellholes” of misery, cruelty, and corruption. Later in the century, the prison reform movement emerged with the idea that prisoners could be rehabilitated. Over the years, penal policy has wavered between the two opposing philosophies of either punishment or “lock them up” and prison reform or rehabilitation. With more than two million people in American jails and prisons, at an average annual cost of $20,000 per person, it is likely that the prison reform movement will continue, though at a glacially slow pace.
The encyclopedia includes more than 300 alphabetically arranged entries, often with the addition of cross‐references. Entries cover famous criminals, prisons and prison wardens, reformers, riots and escapes, prison organizations, parole, sentencing laws, capital punishment and prison technology. Social issues are also covered such as prison rape, AIDS, mistreatment of prisoners, racial conflicts and the unique problems of women prisoners. Some of the entries define prison slang; for example, a “sissy shank” is a prisoner made knife and “shower survival” is when a prisoner avoids a murder attempt. In addition, the book contains 50 photographs and illustrations of infamous prisoners and prisons, an extensive bibliography and a thorough index. The bibliography contains titles that are classics in the field, as well as novels written from the perspective of former prison inmates. Throughout the encyclopedia, Sifakis presents facts that startle and make us realize that the social, legal and economic issues surrounding prisons demand increased involvement from the American public now more than at any time in the past.
I recommend this encyclopedia for any public or school library looking for a reasonably priced general reference source about American prisons and prison life. However, those seeking a more authoritative reference on American prisons may want to look at McShane (1996). This was written by academics and is targeted at university and research level users.
