This book analyzes the prison systems in the Americas in the twenty-first century. Leading experts discuss the state of the prison systems in their respective countries, focusing on trends of overcrowding, high recidivism rates, harsh drug laws, human rights, and the relationship between prisons, drug trafficking, and organized crime.
This volume on penitentiary systems in the Americas offers a long-overdue look at the prisons that exist at the forefront of the ongoing struggle against drugs and violence throughout North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. From Haiti to Bolivia, the authors examine the conditions in these systems, and allow several common themes to emerge, including the alarming prevalence of lengthy pre-trial detention and the often abysmal living conditions in these institutions. Taken together, this comprises the first comparative overview of the use and abuse of prisons in the Americas.
