The Oxford History of the Prison
The Practice of Punishment in Western Society
Edited by Norval Morris and David J. Rothman
Reviews and Awards
Winner of the American Society of Criminology's EDWIN H. SUTHERLAND AWARD and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency's Donald Cressey Award
"Two scholars more qualified to edit such a work do not readily come to mind....Both men are crisp, stylish writers....Well-written and intelligently indexed."--The New York Times Book Review
"An exemplary historical handbook."--Booklist
"Norval Morris writes a fascinating and sobering account of prisons in the contemporary U.S."--Journal of Social History
"Every facet of incarceration is covered in The Oxford History of the Prison."--American Heritage
"This comprehensive survey of the prison could not be more timely...and well-planned."--The New Republic
"The finest part of the book...is editor Norval Morris's chapter on the contemporary prison, which includes a one-day diary of a convict serving in a maximum-security prison in Illinois.... The message of this book...is sobering. At best, the conditions of prisons have improved at a glacial pace. And right now, we seem to be slipping backwards."--Newsday
"Examining current ideas on crime and punishment, this solid collection of 14 essays details the birth and development of the prison system. An exemplary historical handbook."--Booklist
"Oxford's History of the Prison is a landmark, an authoritative distillation of the history of the prison from antiquity to the present, in English-speaking countries and continental Europe, for men, women, and young offenders. It has no rival for sophistication, readability, or breadth of coverage."--Michael Tonry, author of Malign Neglect: Race, Crime, and Punishment in America
"The selections in this anthology provide the most comprehensive overview of prisons I have yet to encounter. A very impressive and informative account of crime and punishment."--Don W. Sieker, New Hampshire College