Locked Down, Locked Out Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better

Through the stories of prisoners and their families, including her own family’s experiences, Maya Schenwar shows how the institution that locks up 2.3 million Americans and decimates poor communities of color is shredding the ties that, if nurtured, could foster real collective safety. As she vividly depicts here, incarceration takes away the very things that might enable people to build better lives. But looking toward a future beyond imprisonment, Schenwar profiles community-based initiatives that successfully deal with problems—both individual harm and larger social wrongs—through connection rather than isolation, moving toward a safer, freer future for all of us.

Maya Schenwar is editor-in-chief of Truthout, an independent social-justice news website. She has written about the prison-industrial complex for the New York Times, the Guardian, the Newark Star-Ledger, Ms. magazine, and others. Previous to joining Truthout, Maya was contributing editor at Punk Planet magazine and served as publicity coordinator for Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

Introduction: Into the Hole

Part I: Coming Apart
Chapter 1: The Visiting Room
Chapter 2: The 100-Year Communication Rewind
Chapter 3: On the Homefront
Chapter 4: "Only Her First Bid"
Chapter 5: Disposable Babies

Part II: Coming Together
Chapter 6: The Case for a Pen Pal
Chapter 7: Working From the Inside Out: Decarcerate!
Chapter 8: Telling Stories
Chapter 9: The Peace Room
Chapter 10: A Wake-Up
Epilogue: Not an Ending
Resources
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author