States of Siege U.S. Prison Riots, 1971-1986

This book examines case studies of recent prison riots in five states, including the 1971 radical uprising in Attica, New York, and the infamous 1981 bloodbath at the New Mexico Penitentiary. The most extensive and detailed work yet written on US prison riots, the authors explain the occurrence and variations of riots as a reflection of the administrative breakdown of the prison system within a changing ideological context. A theoretical appendix helps make this work an ideal introduction to sociological theories of collective action.

Bert Useem is Director, Public Safety Research at the Urban Research Institute of the University of Louisville Peter A. Kimball is a data analyst and statistician with the American College of Health Care Executives