This is the two-volume "Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities" which aims to provide a critical overview of penal institutions within a historical and contemporary framework. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world; a fact that has caused lawmakers, advocates, and legal professionals to rethink punishment policies as well as develop new policies on prisoner education and rehabilitation. Issues of race, gender, and class are fully integrated throughout in order to demonstrate the complexity of the implementation and intended results of incarceration.The encyclopedia also contains biographies, articles describing important legal statutes, as well as detailed and authoritative descriptions of the major prisons in the United States. Comparative data and examples are employed to analyze the America system within an international context. The encyclopedia's 400 entries are all signed and written by recognized authorities. There is an appendix containing a comprehensive listing of every federal prison in the US complete with facility details and service information. The editorial board includes: Stephanie Bush-Baskette, National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD); Jeanne Flavin, Fordham University; Esther Heffernan, Edgewood College; and, Jim Thomas, Northern Illinois University.