American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment

Terrific book and reporting. The author dives head-first into privatized prisons by joining one as a guard.

The chapters oscillate between first-person accounting of the author’s experience in prison and historical context about private prisons—an effective strategy that keeps the book engaging.

Overall, I learned a ton about the dark side of private prisons and what they look/feel like on the inside. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.

American Prison
A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment

Shane Bauer

sociology

★★★★