Handbook on Prisons and Jails

The Handbook on Prisons and Jails brings together some of the brightest scholars and thinkers in the field to offer a wide range of perspectives for understanding the experiences of persons incarcerated or working/volunteering within carceral institutions. The assembled chapters consider what is known in the area while identifying emerging areas for theoretical, empirical, and policy work.

The volume includes contributions on numerous topics and areas related to penal control, containment, living, and/or working in carceral institutions and addresses methodological considerations for doing research with individuals incarcerated in jail or prison. This collection is essential reading for scholars and students seeking an up-to-date guide to contemporary issues facing corrections and sentencing. It also provides practitioners with valuable resources for developing socially informed policies and practices.

Danielle S. Rudes, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University and the Deputy Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University. Dr. Rudes is a qualitative researcher with over 20 years of experience working with corrections agencies. Her research intersects at the nexus of law and society, punishment, and organizational theory. She is the author of Surviving Solitary: Living and Working in Restricted Housing Units (2022). She is also an Associate Editor at the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment and serves on the editorial board of several other journals. Dr. Rudes received the American Society of Criminology’s Teaching Award and several other awards for her research, mentoring, and teaching. She is also a former chair and executive counselor of the Division on Corrections and Sentencing within the American Society of Criminology.

Gaylene S. Armstrong, Ph.D., is the Director and Distinguished Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (UNO SCCJ) on the Omaha and Lincoln campuses. She is also the Co-Director of the Nebraska Collaborative for Violence Intervention and Prevention. As a criminologist, Dr. Armstrong engages in collaborative approaches to community-engaged research encompassing criminal justice agencies, community stakeholders, state legislators, and individuals with lived criminal justice experiences across the United States.

Kimberly R. Kras, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. Her research examines the lived experiences of people experiencing reentry from prison and their process toward desistance. Her work has specifically looked at the role of housing, social support, fines and fees, and most recently, employment in the reintegration of legal system-involved people. She also considers how community corrections organizations and their staff employ evidence-based practices to support (or hinder) the reintegration of justice-involved people. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis following a career with the Missouri Division of Probation and Parole. Kim also holds a Masters in Criminal Justice and Criminology and Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

TaLisa J. Carter, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University in Washington, D.C., an Affiliated Scholar at Urban Institute, a non-residence fellow with the Brookings Institute, and an Affiliate with the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence! at George Mason University. Previously, she worked as a Deputy Corrections Officer in Savannah, GA. Ongoing research examines theoretical explanations of accountability in the Criminal Justice System, the role of identity in criminal justice professions, and the impact of skin tone on criminal justice outcomes. Both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health funded her work.