Governing Prisons: A Comparative Study of Correctional Management

Interesting look into the prison systems within three different states in three different geographic areas. Marked similarities in their approaches as well as where they found their own varisions to approach the over-crowding as well common prison management issues.

John DiIulio's seminal work on correctional administration is timeless, and it is just as relevant today as it was when it was written in the late 1980s. Governing Prisons continues to be an excellent text for graduate courses in criminal justice and business administration. Too, it should be required reading for prison administrators.

If I could reccomend only one book on prison management this is the one. The author critically examines and compares three large state prison systems; California, Michigan, and Texas. He identifies the fundamental philosophies that govern each system and shows the practical results of each. The "Michigan Responsability Model", The "Texas Control Model", and the California Confused Model which is merely a mixture of the Michigan and Texas philosophies. All prison systems in the U.S. are varients of the two models or mixtures of one degree or another as is California. The study speaks for itself as to which is the superior system, if the goal is safe and humane prisons that provide as effective rehabilitation as is possible. Must reading for prison administrators, professors, politicians, and anyone else interested in proper prison management.