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By Alexander W. Pisciotta

The opening, in 1876, of the Elmira Reformatory marked the birth of the American adult reformatory movement and the introduction of a new approach to crime and the treatment of criminals. Hailed as a reform panacea and the humane solution to America's ongoing crisis of crime and social disorder, Elmira sparked an ideological revolution. Repression and punishment were supposedly out. Academic and vocational education, military drill, indeterminate sentencing and parole—"benevolent reform"—were now considered instrumental to instilling in prisoners a respect for God, law, and capitalism.
Not so, says Al Pisciotta, in this highly original, startling, and revealing work. Drawing upon previously unexamined sources from over a half-dozen states and a decade of research, Pisciotta explodes the myth that Elmira and other institutions of "the new penology" represented a significant advance in the treatment of criminals and youthful offenders.

The much-touted programs failed to achieve their goals; instead, prisoners, under Superintendent Zebulon Brockway, considered the Father of American Corrections, were whipped with rubber hoses and two-foot leather straps, restricted to bread and water in dark dungeons during months of solitary confinement, and brutally subjected to a wide range of other draconian psychological and physical abuses intended to pound them into submission. Escapes, riots, violence, drugs, suicide, arson, and rape were the order of the day in these prisons, hardly conducive to the transformation of "dangerous criminal classes into Christian gentleman," as was claimed. Reflecting the racism and sexism in the social order in general, the new penology also legitimized the repression of the lower classes.

NYU Press, 1994, 223 pages

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By Ben M. Crouch and James W. Marquart

How does a prison achieve institutional order while safeguarding prisoners' rights? Since the early 1960s, prison reform advocates have aggressively used the courts to extend rights and improve life for inmates, while prison administrators have been slow to alter the status quo. Litigated reform has been the most significant force in obtaining change.

An Appeal to Justice is a critical tudy of how the Texas Department of Corrections was transformed by Ruiz v. Estelle, the most sweeping class-action suit in correctional law history. Orders from federal judge William W. Justice rapidly moved the Texas system from one of the most autonomous, isolated, and paternalistic system to a more constitutional bureaucracy. In many respects the Texas experience is a microcosm of the transformation of American corrections over the second half of the twentieth century.

This is a careful account of TDC's fearful past as a plantation system, its tumultuous litigated reform, and its subsequent efforts to balance prisoner rights and prison order. Of major importance is the detailed examination of the broad stages of the reform process (and its costs and benefits) and an intimate look at prison brutality and humanity. The authors examine the terror tactics of the inmate guards, the development of prisoner gangs and widespread violence during the reforms, and the stability that eventually emerged. They also detail the change of the guard force from a relatively small, cohesive cadre dependent on discretion, personal loyalty, and physical dominance to a larger and more fragmented security staff controlled by formal procedures.

Drawing on years of research in archival sources and on hundreds of interviews with prisoners, administrators, and staff, An Appeal to Justice is a unique basis for assessing the course and consequences of prison litigation and will be valuable reading for legislators, lawyers, judges, prison administrators, and concerned citizens, as well as prison and public policy scholars.

University of Texas Press, May 1, 1989, 300 pages

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ROSE GIALLOMBARDO

In "SOCIETY OF WOMEN: A Study of a Women's Prison," author delves into the intricate dynamics of a women's prison to explore the complex relationships and power structures that shape the lives of incarcerated women. Through compelling narratives and insightful analysis, this book sheds light on the humanity and struggles of the women within the confines of the prison walls. As readers navigate through the pages, they will gain a deeper understanding of the societal issues surrounding women's incarceration and the impact of the prison system on their lives. "SOCIETY OF WOMEN" offers a thought-provoking study that challenges perceptions and invites reflection on our justice system and the women it detains.

JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.. NEW YORK LONDON SYDNEY.

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Joseph E. Hickey and Peter L. Scharf

Washington. Josey Bass. 1980.222p.

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Human Rights Watch

There are between 200,000 and 300,000 men and women in U.S. prisons with mental disorders, some with serious mental illnesses. In many of the prisons in which they reside, mental health services are far from satisfactory due to understaffing, insufficient facilities, and limited programs. Without necessary care, mentally ill inmates live with painful symptoms and deteriorating mental conditions. Although mentally ill prison inmates generally suffer under poor conditions in prison, some U.S. prison systems have achieved significant advances in mental health services; however, they continue to face persistent obstacles due to the punitive nature of prison regimens and the current fiscal crisis in States across the country. Recommendations to the U.S. Congress are to enact the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act currently pending before Congress, which could catalyze significant reforms in the way the criminal justice system responds to people with mental illness; to improve access to public benefits that cover all needed mental health services; and to amend or repeal the Prison Litigation Reform Act, which hinders inmates in their efforts to remedy unconstitutional conditions in State correctional facilities.

NY. Human Rights Watch. 2003. 222p.