Victoria Law

Prisons Make Us Safer Victoria Law

The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Although home to 5% of the global population, the United States has nearly 25% of the world's prisoners--a total of over 2 million people. This number continues to steadily rise--over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500%. Journalist Victoria Law explains how racism was the catalyst for mass incarceration and has continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves to the laws passed under the War Against Drugs campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people. She breaks down these complicated issues into four main parts: 1. The rise and cause of mass incarceration 2. Myths about prison 3. Misconceptions about incarcerated people 4. How to end mass incarceration Through carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies twenty-one key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration, providing a necessary guide for all who are interested in learning about the cause and rise of mass incarceration and how we can dismantle it.