The 2nd edition of The Pains of Mass Imprisonment 2nd edition (Routledge, July 2025) presents a critical approach to understanding prison conditions in the United States. 

Benjamin Fleury-Steiner, professor in the University of Delaware Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, and Jamie Longazel, associate professor of law and  society at John Jay College, do this by weaving together empirical research on prisons with stories that rely on the voices and lived experiences of people who are locked up. 

The book also features numerous organizations involved in supporting and providing advocacy for formerly incarcerated and detained people. In the case of prisons and jails, rather than a strong commitment to meaningful prosocial programs, these institutions are systematically characterized by harmful human warehousing. Many of the examples presented depict power being asserted by prison guards and staff against individuals who are rendered nearly powerless. 

At the same time, there are also plenty of examples of incarcerated people asserting their agency and effecting change. But it’s certainly an uphill climb. In addition to the inferior status of “inmate” or “prisoner,” many have social identities that reflect overlapping positions of inequality. For example, women—especially poor Black women—find themselves in the hyper-masculine and misogynist environment of the prison.These racial injustices are also found in the staggering rise in harsh immigrant detention in the U.S. today.