Introduction

Abstract

This is a book about prisons and about crowding. Most of the research to be discussed was conducted in prisons and is of use in resolving basic questions about prison design and housing. However, the aim in this research was not to understand prisons per se, but the nature and consequences of living in crowded conditions. This was a major concern of a wide array of researchers when we first began our studies. The choice of prisons as a site for research was predicated on a variety of methodological and conceptual grounds. It was felt that characteristics of living conditions in many prisons provided a unique opportunity to examine a variety of issues in the area of crowding. Even though the aim was “basic” research, the research in prisons soon led to involvement in a number of legal battles about the constitutionality of living conditions in prisons. This forced my colleagues and me to address the practical implications of our work as well as its theoretical meaning. In fact, the pressures of carrying out the research and being involved in the various legal proceedings made it difficult to find time for reflective theoretical appraisal of our results. This book represents an attempt to incorporate in one volume the empirical, theoretical, and practical fruits of a 15-year effort. The story is by no means complete. Many empirical, theoretical, and practical questions remain.