Texas Tough: The Rise Of America's Prison Empire

Tags: prisons, convict leasing, chain gangs, Robert Perkinson, crack cocaine, African Americans

Why has the United States built the largest prison system in the world- with more than 2.4 million people behind bars? Why have racial disparities in criminal justice worsened over the past two decades, despite landmark victories in the civil rights movement? Our guest, University of Hawaii history professor Robert Perkinson, has written TEXAS TOUGH which traces the history of the prison system in the US from the era of slavery, through Jim Crow to today. Perkinson writes that Texas has been the leader in incarcerations in the past few decades and in some ways sets the tone of incarceration throughout the country. He joins us on the phone now.

fmi http://www.texastough.com