Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire

Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison EmpireIn the prison business, all roads lead to Texas. A pioneer in criminal justice severity from assembly line executions to supermax isolation, from mandatory sentencing to prison privatization Texas is the most locked down state in the most incarcerated country in the world. Texas Tough, a sweeping history of American imprisonment from the days of slavery to the present, explains how a plantation based penal system once dismissed as barbaric became a

In the prison business, all roads lead to Texas. A pioneer in criminal justice severity--from assembly-line executions to supermax isolation, from mandatory sentencing to prison privatization--Texas is the most locked-down state in the most incarcerated country in the world. Texas Tough, a sweeping history of American imprisonment from the days of slavery to the present, explains how a plantation-based penal system once dismissed as barbaric became a template for the nation.

Drawing on the individual stories as well as authoritative research, Texas Tough reveals the true origins of America's prison juggernaut and points toward a more just and humane future.