Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System

A very important book and timely - I'd like to recommend that Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan read this book for a reality check of what happens to women who are not famous & /or privileged and if they want to help a cause, this is the one they should get their voices behind.

While I think this book has a substantial amount of valuable information on the subject of women in prison, I found the grammatical errors throughout the book to be quite distracting. Even with that being said, I did find it to be a marvelous compilation of many years of research on the subject. It is absolutely crucial that more people in society begin to fully comprehend the vast array of implications and "collateral consequences" of mass incarceration, and this book is a great tool in that ongoing struggle. I highly recommend it to any and all.

The plight of women behind bars in U.S. prisons is a national disgrace. Not since my first reading of two quite different books--The Jungle and To Kill a Mockingbird--have I been so moved, and educated, by a story of social injustice. The genius and the beauty of Silja Talvi's book is that she removes herself from the telling of these women's stories. It's as if the inmates are speaking directly to the reader, daring us not to turn away from them, to go on about our lives as if we hadn't witnessed such sweeping, and deeply personal, outrages. Talvi's exquisite blending of reportorial facts and figures and personal narratives makes for compelling reading. It should rouse anyone with a pulse and a conscience to action on behalf of a heretofore silent, invisible, and oppressed group of our fellow human beings.

The last thing I expected upon opening a non-fiction book on the subject of women in prison would be that the book would be so compelling that I couldn't put it down, but that was the case! The author combines statistics and facts with dramatic accounts of prisoner experiences, and appropriately weaves in her own observations, pertinent interviews, analyses of historic trends, cross-cultural comparisons, and covers many important political issues and facets of the criminal justice system. I found the accounts of medical neglect to be heart breaking, as were the stories about mistreatment of the mentally ill. The issues raised, especially the damaging effects of prolonged isolation, are very important issues that out society is neglecting to address. While this book focuses on these issues in women's prisons, the authors observations are just as applicable to men. This book is not a detached theoretical look at the issue, it is very humane and personal work that will surprise readers and will hold your interest far more than you might anticipate. I highly recommend it. I believe this book should be required reading in all university criminal justice and women's studies programs--and would be beneficial in the social work curriculum, as well.