The problem of American prisons has become one of the most pressing political problems of our time. This paper reconsiders the 1831 travels of Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont in order to situate the prison as institution born of American democracy. While most studies isolate and...

Globally, at least 11 million people are held in prisons and other penal institutions, a number which has increased by more than 10 percent over the past decade. Prisoners often come from marginalized groups in society with limited economic opportunities, and children in prison are mostly those...