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The Globalization of Supermax Prisons

  • Edited by: Jeffrey Ian Ross
  • With contributions by: Jeffrey Ian Ross , Jeffrey Ian Ross , Pat O'Day , Thomas O'Connor , Pat O'Day , Angela West Crews , Sandra Resodihardjo , Fran Buntman , Lukas Muntingh , David Brown , Bree Carlton , Greg Newbold , Jose De Jesus Filho and Dawn L. Rothe
  • Preface by: Loic Wacquant and Loic Wacquant
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2013
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About this book

2013 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

“Supermax” prisons, conceived by the United States in the early 1980s, are typically reserved for convicted political criminals such as terrorists and spies and for other inmates who are considered to pose a serious ongoing threat to the wider community, to the security of correctional institutions, or to the safety of other inmates. Prisoners are usually restricted to their cells for up to twenty-three hours a day and typically have minimal contact with other inmates and correctional staff. Not only does the Federal Bureau of Prisons operate one of these facilities, but almost every state has either a supermax wing or stand-alone supermax prison.

The Globalization of Supermax Prisons examines why nine advanced industrialized countries have adopted the supermax prototype, paying particular attention to the economic, social, and political processes that have affected each state. Featuring essays that look at the U.S.-run prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantanemo, this collection seeks to determine if the American model is the basis for the establishment of these facilities and considers such issues as the support or opposition to the building of a supermax and why opposition efforts failed; the allegation of human rights abuses within these prisons; and the extent to which the decision to build a supermax was influenced by developments in the United States. Additionally, contributors address such domestic matters as the role of crime rates, media sensationalism, and terrorism in each country’s decision to build a supermax prison.

Author / Editor information

JEFFREY IAN ROSS is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice and a fellow of the Center for International and Comparative Law at the University of Baltimore. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of numerous books, including Beyond Bars: Rejoining Society after Prison, Convict Criminology, and Special Problems in Corrections.

Reviews

"The Globalization of Supermax Prisons is the missing puzzle piece in the encrypted and often unspoken portrayal of the global realities of the developmental intricacies and constituencies of supermax prisons. [It] leaves one thinking about the repercussions of supermax institutions, as shaped by socioeconomics and politics, on prisoners' rights."
— Law and Politics Book Review

"The Globalization of Supermax Prisons is a major contribution, sketching the outlines of the supermax phenomenon not just in the United States, but across the globe. The anthology is also well timed to engage with the growing public realization that the now-familiar abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have their parallel counterparts in domestic U.S. prison."
— Crime, Law, and Social Change

"The collection draws attention to a troubling potential trend and a complex problem of contemporary social life and thus offers an important contribution to penal and socio-political studies."
— Critical Criminology

"An important and timely collection of essays examining the propagation of the American ‘Supermax’ model around the globe. . . . An essential read for researchers, policy makers and concerned citizens alike."
— Sharon Shalev, author of Supermax: Controlling Risk through Solitary Confinement

"A fine anthology dealing with supermax prisons. The essays provide a wealth of information about why the US and eight other advanced industrialized nations adopted the supermax prototype. These articles are consistently well written and informative, and they raise questions about the efficacy of such prisons. An important read for researchers, policy makers, and concerned citizens. Highly recommended."
— Choice

"Jeffrey Ian Ross brings together a wealth of information in an extremely useful and important portrait of global supermax prison proliferation."
— Lorna Rhodes, University of Washington, Seattle

"This is a book that legislators, policymakers, practitioners and students should include on a professional reading list. In order to make more informed decisions regarding policies and procedures in our prison systems, it is important to know the history of our systems and how it impacts operations today."
— Corrections Today

"This book is a fascinating comparative examination of the worldwide proliferation of supermax prisons. The Globalization of Supermax Prisons is a must-read for any student, practitioner, or scholar of punishment and correctional practices."
— Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    i
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    Contents

    vii
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    Foreword: Probing the Meta-Prison

    ix
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  • Publicly Available

    Acknowledgments

    xv
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    Chapter 1. The Globalization of Supermax Prisons

    1
    Jeffrey Ian Ross
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    Chapter 2. The Invention of the American Supermax Prison

    10
    Jeffrey Ian Ross
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    Chapter 3. How Canada Built Its Supermax Prison

    25
    Jeffrey Ian Ross
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    Chapter 4. Supermaxes South of the Border

    35
    Patrick O’Day and Thomas O’Connor
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    Chapter 5. The Growth of the Supermax Option in Britain

    49
    Angela West Crews
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    Chapter 6. Analyzing the Supermax Prisons in the Netherlands

    67
    Sandra L. Resodihardjo
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    Chapter 7. Supermaximum Prisons in South Africa

    80
    Fran Buntman and Lukas Muntingh
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    Chapter 8. From “Secondary Punishment” to “Supermax”

    95
    David Brown and Bree Carlton
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    Chapter 9. The Emergence of the Supermax in New Zealand

    111
    Greg Newbold
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    Chapter 10. The Rise of the Supermax in Brazil

    129
    José de Jesus Filho
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    Chapter 11. Guantánamo

    145
    Jeffrey Ian Ross and Dawn L. Rothe
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    Chapter 12. A Globalized Militarized Prison Juggernaut

    160
    Dawn L. Rothe
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    Chapter 13. Conclusion

    177
    Jeffrey Ian Ross
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    Notes

    183
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    References

    195
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    Notes on Contributors

    217
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
June 22, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9780813557427
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813557427
eBook ISBN: 9780813557427
Keywords for this book
supermax; prisons; United States; political criminals; terrorists; spies; ongoing threat; correctional institutions; inmates; restricted; cells; Federal Bureau of Prisons; state; supermax wing; stand-alone; Globalization; advanced industrialized countries; economic; social; political processes; Abu Ghraib; Guantanamo; American model; establishment; opposition; human rights abuses; decision-making; crime rates; media sensationalism; terrorism; domestic matters; contributors; supermax prison; incarceration; security; extremism; confinement; isolation; controversial; incarceration system; political prisoners; national security; confinement practices; justice system; penal institutions; controversial facilities; detainment; solitary confinement; surveillance; high-security prisons; penitentiary system.; early 1980s
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For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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