![]() ![]() ![]() But Bauer avoids the facile claim that state-run punishment is per se better than private punishment. The death rate of leased prisoners was extraordinarily high, rivaling those in the later Soviet gulags. With the abolition of slavery, Southern states confronted a problem: how could they (cheaply) harvest cash crops, mine coal, and build railroads? States quickly recognized the clause in the 13 th Amendment prohibiting involuntary servitude “except as punishment for a crime.” The practice spread, with leased prisoners being subjected to inhumane work and living conditions. He reviews the spread of convict leasing after the Civil War. In the historical study, Bauer surveys the long history of imprisonment and privatization in the US. Both narratives are fascinating reads and provide important insights about private prisons in the United States. The contemporary narrative tells of Bauer’s experience working in a private prison in Louisiana. ![]() The historical narrative spans two centuries, from the early experimental days of penitentiaries in the 19 th century to the era of judicial oversight and reform in the 1970s. In American Prison, journalist Shane Bauer weaves together historical and contemporary narratives about prison privatization in the United States. ![]() Publisher: New York: Penguin Press, 2018. American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey Into The Business Of Punishment ![]()
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