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Prison Masculinities
edited by Don Sabo, Terry Kupers and Willie London
Pub. Date: February 2001
Explores how prisons mirror the worst aspects of society-wide gender relations. Includes essays by activists, academics, and prisoners. Includes an essay by Angela Davis exploring the roots of the prison system, cultural practices surrounding gender and punishment, and the current expansion of corrections into the prison-industrial complex.
Reviews
From Library Journal
Sabo (sociology, D'Youville Coll.), Terry Kupers (psychiatry, Wright Inst.), and poet, essayist, and prisoner Willie London (Eastern Corrections) have edited this well-structured compendium of often disturbing analyses, overviews, and personal expressions of the role gender and race dynamics play in the politics, economy, and hierarchical culture of American prisons. "Tough" male inmates--emotionally and physically dominant, ruthlessly competitive, and violent--rule less-dominant prison inhabitants, displaying exaggerated characteristics of the hegemonic masculinity evident in various degrees elsewhere in America. Correlations are made between a rising young, black prison population; mandatory and determinant sentencing laws; and the abandonment of educational and rehabilitation programs for harsh and punitive "intimidate and control" policies. The authors instead strongly recommend, among other things, emphasizing mentoring and educating juveniles at risk, revising treatment plans for nonviolent criminals and drug law offenders, and encouraging meaningful vocational preparedness. Highly recommended for professionals, academics, and the general public.--Suzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Temple University Press
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