Summary

While prison populations in the U.S. increased almost tenfold from 1980 to 2000, studies of men's prisons have dwindled. For this reason, eminent criminologist John Irwin was impelled to examine imprisonment during this punitive period. He chose Solano State Prison as the site for his study. Solano represents a typical prison where new, popular forms of technology and prison regimens have been instituted. The facility houses up to 6,000 prisoners at middle-security levels--II and III in California's range of custodies. (The highly punitive supermax prisons are level IV.) Irwin found that prison planners and administrators have developed a system that keeps its 6,000 prisoners almost completely controlled--crowded together in limited space and with limited access to rehabilitative and recreational programs. This control is accomplished through the physical design of the prison, the rigid enforcement of an extensive set of rules, and a simplified protocol for transferring troublesome prisoners to supermax prisons. Irwin also discovered that while the prisoners--most of whom are serving sentences of more than five years--are not brutalized, they are profoundly harmed by this new form of imprisonment and experience tremendous difficulties adjusting to outside society upon their release. Criminologist Barbara Owen wrote the Afterword for this book, in which she presents the differences in women's correctional facilities. There, Owen maintains, conditions are far worse. This book examines the forces that have made the United States the most punitive nation in the world--perhaps in all of history. Irwin's analysis forms the second theme of the book, conveyed by its subtitle: The Disposal of the New Dangerous Class. The Warehouse Prison covers all major topics in corrections. Irwin's student-friendly, accessible style brings a real-world, "insider's" perspective to his depiction of prison life. Abundant quotations from individuals within the correctional system add drama, flavor, and interest. The Warehouse Prison is a unique study of the modern prison, essential reading for students of corrections and criminal justice.