i Unusually Cruel ii iii UNUSUALLY CRUEL Prisons, Punishment, and the Real American Exceptionalism z MARC MORJÉ HOWARD 1 iv 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. CIP data is on file at the Library of Congress ISBN 978–0–19–065934–9 (pbk) ISBN 978– 0– 19– 065933– 2 (hbk) 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Paperback printed by WebCom, Inc., Canada Hardback printed by Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc., United States of America v For my friend and inspiration, Marty Tankleff vi vii Contents List of Figures and Table  ix Preface  xi 1. Introduction 1 2. Plea Bargaining 24 3. Sentencing 41 4. Prison Conditions 61 5. Rehabilitation 86 6. Parole 107 7. Societal Reentry 131 8. Explaining American Punitiveness: Race, Religion, Politics, and Business 149 9. Conclusion 185 Notes 201 References  233 Index 267 viii ix List of Figures and Table Figures 1.1 Number of Incarcerated Americans and Incarceration Rate, 1880–2 014  6 1.2 Americans under Some Form of Carceral Supervision, 1980– 2014  7 1.3 Incarceration Rate per 100,000, by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 2014  8 1.4 Lifetime Likelihood of Imprisonment of U.S. Residents Born in 2001  9 1.5 Incarceration Rate per 100,000 People, by Country (2015)  9 1.6 Pre- Trial Detainees and Remand Prisoners per 100,000 People, by Country (2014)  10 1.7 Juvenile Prisoners per 100,000 Aged 10–1 7, by Country (2003– 2004)  11 1.8 Female Prisoners per 100,000, by Country (2015)  11 1.9 Incarceration Rate per 100,000 People, 1971–2 015  12 1.10 Change in Violent and Property Crime Compared to Prisoner and Total Population, 1960– 2012  16 3.1 Number of People in the U.S. Serving Life Sentences, 1984– 2012   45 3.2 Number of People in the U.S. Serving LWOP Sentences, 1992– 2012  46 4.1 Mule Creek State Prison (August 2008)   71 4.2 California Institution for Men (August 2006)   71