Conclusion

Abstract

AbstractIn this concluding chapter, the author extends out from ground-level ethnographic insights to situate the prison fieldsite, Sunbelt State Penitentiary, in its broader political-economic context. It describes historical evolutions in American penology from the old penology of emphasizing crime control through the new penology of prioritizing population control, culminating in the present day’s neoliberal approach to penal punishment and labor. Finally, the chapter presents three possible changes to address issues in contemporary punishment institutions. The prescriptions for change offered here are guided by the insights of imprisoned workers themselves. These range from incremental reform-based approaches to pathways toward more radical transformation.