States of Siege: US Prison Riots, 1971-1986

In the last fifteen years alone, over 300 riots have erupted in US prisons, with enormous costs: over a hundred lives; uncounted beatings, rapes and assaults; and the destruction of hundreds of millions of dollars of prison property. Why and how do these riots occur? This book provides a fascinating and dramatic account of five major prison riots, including the Attica rebellion of 1971.They show how riots have evolved in the past twenty year in relation to America's changing penal system and society. They draw on in-depth interviews with rioters, transcripts of post-riot investigations, and results of a questionnaire about inmate disturbances in every maximum and medium-security prison in the US. By demonstrating that the growth of riots depends both on the state's capabilities and on inmates' pre-existing organizations, their ethnicity, and the revolts' root causes, the authors expose the absence of a consistent and realistic policy towards the prison population of the US.

About the Author :
Kimball is a Ph D. candidate in socioogy, University of Illinois, Chicago

Review :
"A valuable addition to the available literature on the culture of prisons and the issues and problems associated with these institutions."--Choice "The book offers a thorough review of available data on a set of recent prison riots and also builds on a great deal of original data gathered from interviews at several of the prisons. I found it all quite engrossing."--Richard E. Ratcliff, Syracuse University "States of Siege represents a major advance in thinking about prison riots. The penetrating analysis of collective violence behind bars reveals how riots result from a breakdown in administrative controls and operations. Based on a careful comparative study of disturbances in several systems, this book is must reading for prison administrators, criminal justice scholars, and anyone else who desires a fresh, realistic perspective on prison violence and how to prevent it."--John J. DiIulio, Jr., Princeton University "A landmark study of collective action. Beautifully written and judicious--ultimately one is convinced by the sheer authenticity of voice."--Mayer N. Zald, University of Michigan "States of Siege is persuasive and a well-executed study. The link between prison riots and forms of collective action has been greatly advanced. Anyone interested in a sociological analysis of prisons, correctional administration, and especially collective action would profit from reading this work."--American Journal of Sociology "A valuable addition to the available literature on the culture of prisons and the issues and problems associated with these institutions."--Choice "The book offers a thorough review of available data on a set of recent prison riots and also builds on a great deal of original data gathered from interviews at several of the prisons. I found it all quite engrossing."--Richard E. Ratcliff, Syracuse University "States of Siege represents a major advance in thinking about prison riots. The penetrating analysis of collective violence behind bars reveals how riots result from a breakdown in administrative controls and operations. Based on a careful comparative study of disturbances in several systems, this book is must reading for prison administrators, criminal justice scholars, and anyone else who desires a fresh, realistic perspective on prison violence and how to prevent it."--John J. DiIulio, Jr., Princeton University "A landmark study of collective action. Beautifully written and judicious--ultimately one is convinced by the sheer authenticity of voice."--Mayer N. Zald, University of Michigan "States of Siege is persuasive and a well-executed study. The link between prison riots and forms of collective action has been greatly advanced. Anyone interested in a sociological analysis of prisons, correctional administration, and especially collective action would profit from reading this work."--American Journal of Sociology "This book...not only explains why riots occur, but why they are of such variant kinds. It makes a crucial contribution to the comparative study of riots, and by implication to other forms of collective action. Those interested in prison reform will find much to be instructed by in this book."--Richard Cloward, Columbia University, and Frances Fox Piven, City University of New York