The Politics of Imprisonment: How the Democratic Process Shapes the Way America Punishes Offenders- A Book Report

The Politics of Imprisonment: How the Democratic Process shapes the way America Punishes Offenders- A Book Report

Author's Perspective

Criminologist Vanessa Barker in her book has managed to provide a well researched, conceptualized and convincing account of the varying approaches to punishment under the criminal justice system of United States. Barker's book is well organized and intrigues the readers on its core topic. Overall, Barker has managed write a detailed and credible account of imprisonment in the country.

After the publication of her, Vanessa Barker was awarded the Pass Award in 2009. The award was issued by the National Council on Delinquency and Crime (FSU, 2013). Many contemporary critics also appreciated Barker's work due to her competency as a writer. The book entails a critical review of the criminal justice system in United Sates and highlights and discusses every facet of imprisonment and institutions under the system. Barker provided an overview and history of the practices under the criminal justice system in United States; it allows the readers' to better comprehend the author's viewpoint and to identify the loopholes in the present system.

Overview of the Book- “The Politics of Imprisonment: How the Democratic Process shapes the way America Punishes Offenders”

“The Politics of Imprisonment: How the Democratic Process Shapes the Way America Punishes Offenders” discusses a broad range of issues under the prevalent criminal justice system. Most importantly, the book talks extensively about America's criminal imprisonment system. In a broad perspective, the book highlights the variations in the system across United States i.e. with respect to increased crime rates, rate of incarceration and so forth (Iglesias, 2012).

In order convince the readers' Barker has also presented an overview of the major social movements and transformations between the periods of 1960s up to 1980s (Miller, 2011). The attribute of the book adds relevance and credibility to Barker's perspective. Primarily, because as many scholars have managed to identify the gaps in the system, but no one has managed to portray it in a convincing manner as Vanessa Barker. The book entails a thorough investigation into the prevalent system of punishment in America and its cross country variations.

While, the book manages to examine the present issues/disparities in prison population statistics in the country. The author points out the underlying loopholes in criminal justice policy; both at State and ...