The Dark and Evil World of Arkansas Prisons: Transformed Through Federal Court Intervention recounts the transformation of a corrupt, dysfunctional prison system into one consistent with the U.

The story of the year (1967-8) during which penologist Murton tried to bring true prison reform to Arkansas. It was a year of hope and progress, disappointment and frustration, as Murton realized that reforming prisons in Arkansas meant shaking up the whole rotten system, from Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to the judiciary to the Arkansas housewife.

Justice is on trial in the United States. From police to prisons, the justice system is accused of overpunishing. It is said that too many Americans are abused by the police, arrested, jailed, and imprisoned. But the denunciations are overblown. The data indicates, contrary to the critics, that we don’t imprison too many, nor do we overpunish. This becomes evident when we examine the crimes of prisoners and the actual time served. The history of punishment in the United States, discussed in vivid detail, reveals that the treatment of offenders has become progressively more lenient. Corporal punishment is no more. The death penalty has become a rarity. Many convicted defendants are given no-incarceration sentences. Restorative justice may be a good thing for low-level offenses, or as an add-on for remorseful prisoners, but when it comes to major crimes it is no substitute for punitive justice. The Myth of Overpunishment presents a workable and politically feasible plan to electronically monitor arrested suspects prior to adjudication (bail reform), defendants placed on probation, and parolees.

Written by two academic scholars and former practitioners, Corrections: From Research, to Policy, to Practice, Second Edition offers students a 21st-century look into the treatment and rehabilitative themes that drive modern-day corrections. Authors Mary K. Stohr and Anthony Walsh expertly weave together research, policy, and practice to give readers a foundational understanding of the field of corrections. Readers will gain a comprehensive and practical understanding of corrections, as well as exposure to often-overlooked topics, including correctional programming and treatment, special problem-solving courts, and comparative corrections.

Headquartered in St. Louis and serving primarily Midwestern states, the Eighth Circuit Court has ruled on cases that touch some of the most significant issues in American history, including Native American rights, school segregation, farm bankruptcies, abortion, the environment, pornography, the “war on drugs,” and the first successful class-action sexual-harassment lawsuit. In Establishing Justice in Middle America, Jeffrey Brandon Morris covers its history, from its founding in 1866 through the present day. Morris also provides a panoramic view, discussing how the court has changed over time, the judges who have served on the court, and all of the court’s major cases. This work is one of the first histories of a court in the mostly regional tier of federal courts that are, judicially speaking, nearest to the Supreme Court. Establishing Justice in Middle America reveals how, in many ways, the history of a regional court is a history of the nation itself. Jeffrey Brandon Morris is professor of law at Touro Law Center in Long Island, New York. He is the author or editor of sixteen books, including histories of four federal courts, and is editor of the Encyclopedia of American History. Published for the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit.

Corrections: The Essentials, is a comprehensive, yet compact version of the typical corrections text. The text addresses the most important topics in corrections in a shorter format, while allowing for more accessibility through cost. It includes the usual topics typically found in corrections textbooks, from the history and development of correctional institutions, to the future of corrections. The book is designed for introductory lower and upper division corrections classes, or as a supplement to other corrections classes at the undergraduate or graduate level.