The Author: Joseph HallinanPublisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003
Length: 288 pages
My Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Preface: Last spring term, I took a class at Portland State University titled "Psychology & The Law." One of the guest lecturers (a criminal defense attorney, I believe) suggested this book during her time with us and, for no particular reason other than the desire to read something other than the textbook, I ordered it off of Amazon and actually found the time to read it. The class itself left a bit to be desired (as did my grade; B+....alas) but was still pretty enjoyable - if forgettable. The book, on the other hand was far, far better.
My Review: On January 17th, 1961, President Dwight David Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to the nation as his second term of office came to a close. Although he spoke of much throughout this address, it is perhaps best remembered for his warning to Americans against the influence of the "military-industrial complex." This phrase is commonly used to describe the often unseemly and relationships between the government and the private companies who stand to make money from warfare. This relationship is often blamed for the nation's mounting debt and wasteful spending (whether real or imagined).
Joseph Hallinan takes this basic premise about the relationship between the government and the private sector and uses it as a model to explain the current state of the criminal justice system - particularly when it comes to the nation's prison system. The argument is simple: the reason there are so many prisoners in America is because there are substantial numbers of people and companies who stand to make money because of it. This is the basis of the "prison-industrial complex" argument and is the premise of Hallinan's book. Prisoners need to be fed, transported, clothed, housed, and even entertained. And where there is a need - there will always be those who look to capitalize on that need for profit. After a thorough read of his work - one is hard-pressed to disagree with the author.
"Going Up The River" is a product of many years of painstaking research by Hallinan - currently a writer for The Wall Street Journal. He details his narratives with dozens of people who are residents in various prisons and, perhaps with more keen insight, those who work in the prison system as guards, wardens, and whatnot. He also talks with the residents of the town where the prisons are situated. The results and reactions are not what I would label "intuitive."
Hallinan lays out many reasons why many towns opted for - even begged for - prisons to be built in their area. Some even still brag about them for commerce and tourism reasons. For many small and dying communities, prisons are a way to keep the economy alive, ensure jobs for the locals, and keep a pulse in the lifeblood of the town. And in years past - this worked well for most everyone. However, with the advent of privatization of the prison industry, things soon began to be done on the cheap - which of course led to corners being cut - which then led to improper and inadequate training for the prison staff and overcrowding for the inmates - which is, obviously, the perfect storm for violence, corruption, scandal, death, and heartache.
An underlying theme in the book is the painfully palpable failure and futility of America's "war on drugs." In one poignant example - Hallian compares the sentences of a convicted drug dealer with that of a CIA agent convicted of passing classified information to the Russians. One was "a dope dealer who sold a few ounces of crack" and the other was "a spy who sold out his country." Yet both received 24 years in prison. Yet despite the transparent failure of mandatory sentencing laws - politicians only want to spend money on more cells, more bars, and more walls. And the citizenry merely seem to acquiesce.
To that end, Hallinan takes us through a brief but perceptive history of criminal justice in America - beginning with our Puritan foundations and up to modern times. We've tried nearly every model of criminal justice ever dreamed up - from the insanely lackadaisical to the tortuously cruel. The lesson learned? Nothing seems to work. Nothing. No matter whether we imprison people in order to "cure" them, to scare them, to punish them, or to protect them - we never stop having criminals and, ergo, we still have prisoners. Few seem to be reformed in the "reformatories." Fewer yet are corrected in a "correctional institute." No one is penitent in a penitentiary. And I suppose that until the cycle of the prison-industrial complex is broken, I suspect that Hallinan would argue that it never will be.
Hallinan doers offer a glimmer of hope at some methods that do seem to work on occasions - but that seem to be more about the prisoner himself - and less about the system that placed them in prison. To Hallinan - the only way to get through prison is to have three things with while you serve you sentence: a family on the outside; a job on the inside; and a strong faith throughout.
Joseph Hallinan takes this basic premise about the relationship between the government and the private sector and uses it as a model to explain the current state of the criminal justice system - particularly when it comes to the nation's prison system. The argument is simple: the reason there are so many prisoners in America is because there are substantial numbers of people and companies who stand to make money because of it. This is the basis of the "prison-industrial complex" argument and is the premise of Hallinan's book. Prisoners need to be fed, transported, clothed, housed, and even entertained. And where there is a need - there will always be those who look to capitalize on that need for profit. After a thorough read of his work - one is hard-pressed to disagree with the author.
"Going Up The River" is a product of many years of painstaking research by Hallinan - currently a writer for The Wall Street Journal. He details his narratives with dozens of people who are residents in various prisons and, perhaps with more keen insight, those who work in the prison system as guards, wardens, and whatnot. He also talks with the residents of the town where the prisons are situated. The results and reactions are not what I would label "intuitive."
Hallinan lays out many reasons why many towns opted for - even begged for - prisons to be built in their area. Some even still brag about them for commerce and tourism reasons. For many small and dying communities, prisons are a way to keep the economy alive, ensure jobs for the locals, and keep a pulse in the lifeblood of the town. And in years past - this worked well for most everyone. However, with the advent of privatization of the prison industry, things soon began to be done on the cheap - which of course led to corners being cut - which then led to improper and inadequate training for the prison staff and overcrowding for the inmates - which is, obviously, the perfect storm for violence, corruption, scandal, death, and heartache.
An underlying theme in the book is the painfully palpable failure and futility of America's "war on drugs." In one poignant example - Hallian compares the sentences of a convicted drug dealer with that of a CIA agent convicted of passing classified information to the Russians. One was "a dope dealer who sold a few ounces of crack" and the other was "a spy who sold out his country." Yet both received 24 years in prison. Yet despite the transparent failure of mandatory sentencing laws - politicians only want to spend money on more cells, more bars, and more walls. And the citizenry merely seem to acquiesce.
To that end, Hallinan takes us through a brief but perceptive history of criminal justice in America - beginning with our Puritan foundations and up to modern times. We've tried nearly every model of criminal justice ever dreamed up - from the insanely lackadaisical to the tortuously cruel. The lesson learned? Nothing seems to work. Nothing. No matter whether we imprison people in order to "cure" them, to scare them, to punish them, or to protect them - we never stop having criminals and, ergo, we still have prisoners. Few seem to be reformed in the "reformatories." Fewer yet are corrected in a "correctional institute." No one is penitent in a penitentiary. And I suppose that until the cycle of the prison-industrial complex is broken, I suspect that Hallinan would argue that it never will be.
Hallinan doers offer a glimmer of hope at some methods that do seem to work on occasions - but that seem to be more about the prisoner himself - and less about the system that placed them in prison. To Hallinan - the only way to get through prison is to have three things with while you serve you sentence: a family on the outside; a job on the inside; and a strong faith throughout.
Amazon page: Going Up the River
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