The natural starting place for the study of corrections law or prison law is with an examination of concepts of punishment, past and present. This examination should help determine how civilized is the United States system of punishing criminals and how effective are contemporary efforts to punish and control crime. The book describes the goals of criminal sanctions as retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Whipping and public humiliation were probably the most popular forms of punishment in Colonial America. Confinement and threat of confinement (probation) are the most popular forms of punishment now. The book is divided into 11 chapters: (1) The Correctional Process; (2) The Court System; (3) Sentencing and Plea Bargaining; (4) Freedom of Association; (5) Exercise of Religious Beliefs; (6) Mail; (7) Search and Seizure; (8) The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and Unusual Punishment; (9) The Fourth Amendment: Use of Force; (10) Civil Actions; and (11) Civil Liability Defenses. Each chapter contains a summary, case summaries, and discussion questions. Notes, figure, table of cases, index