The Prison and the Gallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America Book

This is an absolutely AMAZING book, unlike any other on the subject of mass incarceration.

I firmly believe that Gottschalk is one of the most brilliant thinkers alive in our country today, whether on this subject, labor, welfare, or a host of others. Her sweeping knowledge of the historical subject matter in this book isn't just admirable, it's awe-inspiring.

Considering how many years I've been studying this stuff, I was genuinely surprised by the amount I learned from her book. Her prose, I might add, makes this a very exciting book to read, as well.

My only struggle with this book is something I don't agree with in general; namely, the extent to which Gottschalk believes (and I do not) that the women's/anti-domestic violence movement skewed law-and-order policies in a significantly regressive way. While laws relating to the abuse of women and children have been made tougher in many states, far too many men are still let off with relatively light punishments for even the most serious of domestic violence incidents and sexual abuses. This is MOST evident, say, in the pimping or sex trafficking of girls and women, rape charges where the victim is herself already a marginalized member of society (a drug abuser, a prostitute, and/or homeless). The reality there, as Stamper rightly points out in his book, is still one of grave injustice.