Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison [Paperback]

Paula C. Johnson (Author), Joyce A. Logan (Foreword), Angela J. Davis (Afterword)

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Product Details

Paperback: 339 pages
Publisher: New York University Press; illustrated edition edition (March 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0814742556
ISBN-13: 978-0814742556
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 476 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,118,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From Booklist

Johnson, a law professor, offers a look at the lives of women who have been rendered virtually invisible by their race, sex, and incarceration, noting that two-thirds of new inmates are black women. Johnson begins with a historical overview and analysis of criminal law and sentencing reform with the rise in the U.S. prison population and closes with recommendations for reform. But the most compelling part of the book is the middle section, which includes interviews with women who are or have been incarcerated. By including photographs, Johnson gives these women visibility and voice as they relate their lives, their crimes, and their efforts to remain connected to families and communities. This is a powerful look at the forces that drove these women to crime--most murdered abusive husbands and boyfriends or committed drug-related offenses--as well as their efforts to maintain ties to their children and their growing self-awareness. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Johnson illuminates how the race and gender of African American women affect how they are treated in the American criminal justice system."
-"The Women's Review of Books"
,

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
I received the above letter from Cynthia, an African American woman whom I had interviewed two weeks earlier in a maximum-security prison in New Jersey. Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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Amazon.com: 3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A start to coverage of a much needed topic, Feb 20 2007

By M. Logue "mlogue01" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison (Paperback)

While this like other books is not perfect, the authors begin to try to address the shortage of information on women in the criminal justice system, especially in the prison system. In particular, the authors provide attention to women of color, who like their male counterparts, comprise the majority of those in prison. As a criminology and sociology professor at a private Jesuit university, this book is very beneficial for getting my students to think outside the box and begin critical discourse on the topic. Most women, like most men, are not in prison for violent crimes. They are incarcerated for non-violent crimes, most of which involve drugs. furthermore, they are more likely than men to be incarcerated for drug offenses, and this has been a major contributing factor to their increasing incarceration rates, which are occuring at a faster and higher rate than men overall. In fact, in the federal system, around 40% of all offenders are incarcerated for drugs. While not all women who offend have been victimized, most have some history of adult and/or childhood victimization, which this book attempts to address. Unfortunately, given the non-violent nature of the crimes that most women commit, they continue to be ignored or provided only marginal attention in the criminological field. Women of color are even more marginalized in the literature, though this is beginning to change. This book is a good start to getting people to begin addressing these issues. The authors make no pretense about being neutral, which may concern some readers focused on academic rigor. however, the framework for the book does not take away from its contributions, even if they are not flawless. Nothing ever is.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book, July 19 2008

By Chris Macdonald Dennis - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison (Paperback)

wonderful insight into the lives of african american women in prison. A definite read!

2 of 18 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak academically and otherwise, Aug 17 2005

By Professor Rowe "Dr. Rowe" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison (Paperback)

Professor Johnson gives the total victim typology a full-out book-length workout. Every excuse for the women she cites comitting crimes is dredged out and covered weakly with academic gloss. Most women are in prison for violent, not non-violent crimes, which invalidates many of her arguments for them as primarily society's victims (as prostitutes, drug addicts etc.) A lower % of African-American women are in prison than African-American men, which she fails to cite, and also fails to butress her points. The whinier of the voices she quotes also grates after a while.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews 3.3 out of 5 stars