Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World

Dreisinger, founder of the Prison-to-College-Pipeline program, takes readers on a “prison odyssey” across the globe in search of alternatives to the American system’s reliance on harsh sentencing, mandatory minimums, and the threat of solitary confinement. This journey begins with a powerful examination of restorative justice practices in Rwanda and South Africa, demonstrating how they shift the emphasis from punishment and retribution to reconciliation and the needs of victims. Dreisinger interrogates failures in modern penal practices, from the dehumanizing use of solitary confinement in Brazil to the overcrowding of Thai prisons filled with nonviolent drug offenders. In her storytelling she provides balanced analysis, reflecting on the limitations of reform and questioning the efficacy of well-intentioned measures such as arts programs. Her glimpses into the sociopolitical and cultural landscapes of each country provides a point for departure and comparison when examining the lessons the U.S. can learn from abroad. For example, she visits a private prison in Australia that, unlike its American counterparts, stresses intensive staff training and programs to prevent recidivism. In her travels, from Africa to Norway, Dreisinger carries out an incisive inquiry into the standards for a just society’s humane treatment of its prisoners, concluding that social inequality, racism, and capitalism lie at the root of mass incarceration in the U.S. and abroad. [em]Agent: Sarah Levitt, Kuhn Projects. (Feb.) [/em]