Good Punishment?: Christian Moral Practice and U.S. Imprisonment

Today, the number of persons incarcerated in American prisons is the highest per capita in U.S. history. At what social cost do we build and fill more prisons? James Samuel Logan here inquires into the basic reasons for the increase in the number of U. S. residents being imprisoned. He examines the historical nature of incarceration, debunking the myth that the social function of the prison was ever actually serious social reform. Logan exercises his unique connection to many of the social consequences of imprisonment, making reference to his own friends and family - experiences that are representative of the devastation caused by prisons. Logans biggest concern is the lack of systematic and constructive critical investigation on the parts of Christian theologians and ethicists with regard to the social costs of imprisonment on such a large scale. Good Punishment brings together an examination of salient empirical data and social theory related to the contemporary U. S. practice of imprisonment with a constructive theological ethics of Christian praxis. Throughout, Logan draws heavily from the philosophies of Stanley Hauerwas, informing this investigation and proposal for reform.