Punishment and Inequality in America

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PUNISHMENT AND INEQUALITY IN AMERICA Bruce Western Russell Sage Foundation • New York The Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation, one of the oldest of America’s general purpose foundations, was established in 1907 by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” The Foundation seeks to fulfill this mandate by fostering the development and dissemination of knowledge about the country’s political, social, and economic problems. While the Foundation endeavors to assure the accuracy and objectivity of each book it publishes, the conclusions and interpretations in Russell Sage Foundation publications are those of the authors and not of the Foundation, its Trustees, or its staff. Publication by Russell Sage, therefore, does not imply Foundation endorsement. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Thomas D. Cook, Chair Alan S. Blinder John A. Ferejohn Alan B. Krueger Kenneth D. Brody Larry V. Hedges Cora B. Marrett Christine K. Cassel Jennifer L. Hochschild Eric Wanner Robert E. Denham Kathleen Hall Jamieson Mary C. Waters Christopher Edley Jr. Melvin J. Konner Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Western, Bruce, 1964– Punishment and inequality in America / Bruce Western. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87154-894-8 (cloth) ISBN 978-0-87154-895-5 (paper) 1. Imprisonment—Economic aspects—United States. 2. Imprisonment—Social aspects—United States. 3. Criminal justice, Administration of—Economic aspects— United States. 4. Criminal justice, Administration of—Social aspects—United States. I. Title. HV9471.W47 2006 365.973—dc22 2005055259 Copyright  2006 by Russell Sage Foundation. First papercover edition 2007. All rights reserved . Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Reproduction by the United States Government in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992. Text design by Genna Patacsil. RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION 112 East 64th Street, New York, New York 10021 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 ...