The Puzzle of Prison Order

Many people think prisons are all the same-rows of cells filled with violent men who officials rule with an iron fist. Yet, life behind bars varies in incredible ways. In some facilities, prison officials govern with care and attention to prisoners' needs. In others, officials have remarkably
little influence on the everyday life of prisoners, sometimes not even providing necessities like food and clean water. Why does prison social order around the world look so remarkably different? In The Puzzle of Prison Order, David Skarbek develops a theory of why prisons and prison life vary so
much. He finds that how they're governed-sometimes by the state, and sometimes by the prisoners-matters the most. He investigates life in a wide array of prisons-in Brazil, Bolivia, Norway, a prisoner of war camp, England and Wales, women's prisons in California, and a gay and transgender housing
unit in the Los Angeles County Jail-to understand the hierarchy of life on the inside. Drawing on economics and a vast empirical literature on legal systems, Skarbek offers a framework to not only understand why life on the inside varies in such fascinating and novel ways, but also how social order
evolves and takes root behind bars.

"Many people think prisons are all the same-rows of cells filled with violent men who officials rule with an iron fist. Yet, life behind bars varies in incredible ways. In some facilities, prison officials govern with care and attention to prisoners' needs. In others, officials have remarkably little influence on the everyday life of prisoners, sometimes not even providing necessities like food and clean water. Why does prison social order around the world look so remarkably different? In The Puzzle of Prison Order, David Skarbek develops a theory of why prisons and prison life vary so much. He finds that how they're governed-sometimes by the state, and sometimes by the prisoners-matters the most. He investigates life in a wide array of prisons-in Brazil, Bolivia, Norway, a prisoner of war camp, England and Wales, women's prisons in California, and a gay and transgender housing unit in the Los Angeles County Jail-to understand the hierarchy of life on the inside. Drawing on economics and a vast empirical literature on legal systems, Skarbek offers a framework to not only understand why life on the inside varies in such fascinating and novel ways, but also how social order evolves and takes root behind bars"--

"Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty." -- R. D. McCrie, CHOICE

"An illuminating work of much interest to students of crime and punishment."--Kirkus

"Prisons' regimes around the world and across history differ dramatically. Skarbek's new book offers a groundbreaking argument of why this so. He holds our hand in a fascinating and at times disturbing journey inside the world of prisons. I cannot think of a better guide." -Federico Varese,
University of Oxford, and author of Mafia Life

"Were it only for its extraordinary comparative scope, The Puzzle of Order would already be a major contribution to the fields of prison studies and human rights, but Skarbek's rigorous analysis of governance structures across varying prison regimes makes this a major theoretical breakthrough in law
and society research generally, one that should be read by all who care about the nature of public order in institutions of control." -Jonathan Simon, University of California Berkeley

"David Skarbek is one of the most interesting writers about prisons today. Using case studies from across continents and centuries, he develops a persuasive theory of extralegal governance which will help academics and prison professionals alike unravel the puzzle that is prison governance."
-Nicholas Hardwick, Royal Holloway University of London