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American Prison
Author Shane Bauer
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPenguin Press
Publication date
2018/09/18
Media typeprint
Pages368
Awards
Website PenguinRandomHouse

American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment is a 2018 book by Shane Bauer, published by Penguin Press, about incarceration in the United States and the usage of private prisons.

Bauer had worked at the Winn Correctional Center in Winn Parish, Louisiana, then operated by Corrections Corporation of America (now CoreCivic), as an undercover journalist in 2014. [1] The book is based upon his experiences, which were initially chronicled in a 2016 Mother Jones article written by Bauer. [2] The book was released on September 18, 2018. [3] Bauer alternates between discussing his experiences at Winn and the history of incarceration in the United States. [1]

Reception

Nate Blakeslee of The New York Times wrote that "the sheer number of forehead-slapping quotes from Bauer’s superiors and fellow guards alone are worth the price of admission." [2]

Michael Schaub of National Public Radio described it as "an enraging, necessary look at the private prison system, and a convincing clarion call for prison reform." [1]

Kirkus Reviews described it as "A potent, necessary broadside against incarceration in the U.S." [4]

The book also received the Silver Medal for Non-Fiction from the California Book Awards.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Schaub, Michael (2018-09-19). "Investigative Journalist Aims To Expose Ills Of Privately Run Prisons". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  2. ^ a b Blakeslee, Nate (2018-10-01). "The Dickensian Conditions of Life in a For-Profit Lockup". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  3. ^ Ferranti, Seth (2018-09-18). "All the Terrible Things You See and Learn as a Guard in a Private Prison". Vice. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  4. ^ "American Prison". Kirkus Reviews. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2018-10-10. - Review issue June 15, 2018.

External links