“Jeffrey Bellin’s book, Mass Incarceration Nation: How the United States Became Addicted to Prisons and Jails and How It Can Recover, is truly impressive. It is written in an engaging narrative style but weaves in meticulous statistical support for its contentions. Ultimately it is a concise analysis of the legal, administrative and procedural flaws in our dysfunctional carceral system, and it delivers specific strategies to recover from mass incarceration. …. Everyone involved in the criminal law, at all levels, should read Professor Bellin’s carefully researched and well-thought-out work…. Bellin’s hard work identifies specific flaws that need to be fixed that will start to move the system away from mass incarceration. His book sets forth an agenda that, on the level of legislative, administrative and procedural reform, can lead to significant progress. Read the book and let’s get going.”
“In Mass Incarceration Nation: How the United States Became Addicted to Prisons and Jails and How It Can Recover, Jeffrey Bellin provides readers with a wide-ranging analysis of the causes of mass incarceration and the rippling effects it has on individuals, their families, and society at large. Uniquely positioned as a former prosecutor turned law professor, Bellin draws on anecdotes as a criminal justice insider, while relying on historical archives and official government data to corroborate his arguments…. Mass Incarceration Nation is a highly informative and balanced book, offering a wide-ranging scope on the causes of mass incarceration and proposing practical solutions to reduce the prison population…. this book is an essential read for several audiences, including educators, policymakers, and novice readers – one that is unfamiliar with the phenomenon – because it strategically combines scholarly rigor with anecdotes and modern examples.” – Graciela Perez, Criminal Justice Review, July 2023
“This book is a solid introduction for anyone wanting to see the big picture about mass incarceration and deserves to be widely read…. Despite its nuance and academic structure, the work is accessible and written in clear language, which makes it as useful for law students and stakeholders in the criminal system as it is interesting for the lay reader.”
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