Voices from Prison An Ethnographic Study of

In this unique study, authors Komanduri Murty, Angela Owens, and Ashwin Vyas examine the life histories of Black male prisoners in the U.S. Federal Prison system, to determine what patterns of behavior or life experiences influenced or precipitated their involvement in criminal behavior. The authors focus on Black male prisoners, using pre-sentence investigation reports to provide readers with detailed descriptions of prisoner characteristics.

Ashwin G. Vyas is Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice, Clark Atlanta University.

List of Tables	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Prologue	p. xiii
Preface	p. xvii
The American Black Male	p. 1
Historical Concept	p. 1
Black Perspective	p. 2
Non-Black Perspective	p. 4
Extreme Views	p. 6
Complexity of Crime and Race	p. 12
Profile of Black Male Offender in Federal Prison	p. 16
Selective Explanations of Crime and Criminality	p. 19
Theoretical Explanations	p. 22
Classical Theories of Criminality	p. 22
Biological Theories of Criminality	p. 24
Psychological Theories of Criminality	p. 25
Sociological Theories of Criminality	p. 26
Empirical Explanations	p. 43
The Generality of Deviance Thesis	p. 60
A Brief History of the American Prison System	p. 63
American Prisons in Contemporary Society	p. 65
The Frame of Reference and Methodology	p. 71
Subcultural Influences	p. 76
Methodology	p. 80
Data Sources	p. 81
The Setting	p. 81
The Sample	p. 81
A Brief Overview of the Federal Prison System	p. 82
A Portrait of the Federal Prisoner	p. 83
Mechanics of Inquiry	p. 84
Conducting Research in Prison: The POI's Role as a Researcher and a Staff Member	p. 86
Ethical Considerations	p. 89
Analysis of Prior Convictions	p. 89
Measurement of Variables	p. 90
Analysis of Conviction History, Socio-Demographics, and Social Psychological Characteristics	p. 96
Total Sample	p. 96
Subgroup Analysis	p. 98
Summary	p. 103
Analysis of Personal Interviews	p. 115
Repeat Drug Offenders and Mixed Multiple Offenders	p. 115
Self-Concept and Identities	p. 115
Life History Problems	p. 122
Personal Relationship Problems	p. 140
Life-Style	p. 143
Patterns of Deviance and Attitudes	p. 161
Reactions to the Criminal Justice System and Labeling	p. 175
World View	p. 188
First-time Offenders	p. 191
Self-Concept and Identities	p. 191
Life History Problems	p. 193
Personal Relationship Problems	p. 200
Life-Style	p. 201
Patterns of Deviance and Attitudes	p. 204
Reactions to the Criminal Justice System and Labeling	p. 209
World View	p. 215
Summary, Conclusions, and Implications	p. 219
References	p. 245
Index	p. 259
About the Authors	p. 263
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.

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Voices from Prison An Ethnographic Study of Black Male Prisoners

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