The Global Herald, February 24, 2011 by Jonathan Simon
http://theglobalherald.com/crime-the-emergence-of-an-exceptional-penal-rationale/11926/
What explains the commitment of many American states (and California is perhaps the leading example of a much more widely spread pattern) to this kind of degrading punishment, and why has it remained largely unchanged despite nearly two decades of declining crime rates, grave fiscal difficulties, and growing scandals involving overcrowding and incompetent medical care?