A Sin Against The Future: Imprisonment in the World.

• Author: Feerrall, Bard R.

VIVIEN STERN, A SIN AGAINST THE FUTURE: IMPRISONMENT IN THE WORLD (Boston, Northeastern University Press, 1998) 407 pp.

Arguing that the institution of prison must reexamined, the author briefly presents the historical development of imprisonment as a response to crime and examines the current policy regarding prison in the United States and other parts of the world. The conditions within prisons is also surveyed. The author argues that the institution of imprisonment, having developed in a different age, no longer fits the needs of modern society, is an inefficient use of resources, and provides a setting for human rights abuses. The greatest problem, however, may be the counter-productive nature of imprisonment, in that those coming out present a greater threat than when they went in. Suggestions...