Since the 1970s, the corrections system has experienced exponential growth. Over the past four decades, the number of inmates held in US prisons and jails has quadrupled. This massive growth is associated with a number of different issues and challenges within prisons and jails, including overcrowding; gang activity and misconduct; a shift away from rehabilitation and programming; expanded use of solitary confinement; inmates’ human rights; criticisms of health care; and massive, publicly funded budgets. Many states now spend more on corrections than on higher education.

This book explores these issues in depth. It takes current topics in institutional corrections and explores the main issues surrounding each. Themes include institutional corrections, prison behavior (including gangs and misconduct), solitary confinement, prison programming, and rehabilitation.