Behind American Prison Policy and Population Growth
An Inside Account
The book is an ethnographic study of the history of mass incarceration in Massachusetts from a former correctional officer’s perspective. It is the first-person account of a former prison guard who shares observations including policy perspectives on the growth the of the prison system.
Released October 13, 2020
Reviews:
Chris Menton meticulously reconstructs the camaraderie and conflict among Massachusetts correctional staff amidst the nationwide prison boom. Khaki was the new black among workers who held captive, and sometimes provided care for, a growing population struggling with mental illness, substance use disorder, and the inhumanity of mass incarceration.
Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph.D.
Senior Research Analyst
The Sentencing Project
Campaign to End Life Imprisonment
This book may be thought of as a bibliotherapy for pessimists about prison reform. It is heartening to read this tale, filled as it is with insight, devoid of the usual stereotypes about people in prison. I came away filled with appreciation for the stories and the insights.
Todd R. Clear
University Professor
Rutgers Law School
Rutgers University
An Informative, entertaining, and honest insight into a criminal justice system focused on rehabilitation. A unique perspective of his experiences and how national policies affected state criminal justice systems outcomes on the rate of incarceration at the state levels. Prison norms, values, rules and regulations affect the offenders and staff charged with their care. Public perceptions can influence public policies significantly.
Luis S. Spencer,
Retired Commissioner
Massachusetts Department of Correction
Ferguson is the Wrong Incident
Reflective piece authored by Doctor Chris Menton on the Ferguson Incident of late 2014.
Bicycle Patrol
(2008) American Bicyclist July/August pp. 20-23
Police bicycle usage has grown from virtually none to a point where bicycle patrols are a known phenomenon. Physical and mental advantages for the officer, superior tactical capabilities and statistically higher levels of interaction with the public head the litany of reasons to increase police bicycling.
Bicycle Patrols: An Underutilized Resource
(2008) Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Vol. 31 No. 1 pp. 93-108
The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the activities of police bicycle patrols.
Bicycle Patrols Versus Car Patrols
Law and Order Magazine. June 2007 p.78-81
This article compares police bicycle patrols to police motor patrols. Both were observed under same or similar conditions. These observations took place in five cities, with populations of over 100,000. All contact which the observed police officers had with the public was recorded and coded. The results show that a demonstrably higher amount of contact with the public was experienced by police officers patrolling on bicycles. In characterizing the contacts, the seriousness and tenor of these contacts were coded. The rate of serious contacts including arrests, vehicle impoundments and the like were comparatively similar for both modes of patrol. In some cases, response time and response capability was clearly superior for bicycle patrols, while often the use of bicycles was not an integrated component of a district’s patrol strategy. Bicycle patrols were infrequently assigned radio calls.
Examining the Effectiveness of Bicycle Patrols Versus Automobile Patrols in Charlotte North Carolina, and Hartford, Connecticut
Law Enforcement Executive Forum. 2006 6(5)
This article examines the police use of bicycles for patrols. The wide spread deployment, accompanying rationale and practices for bicycle patrols are considered. Past research on bicycle patrols have been based on crime statistics providing discussion that is narrowly focused considering the wider responsibilities of police. This study was designed to measure community interaction with patrol personnel. Observation sessions recorded the amount of contact police officers had during a full shift whether on a bicycle or in a car. Information collected recorded; contacts, seriousness of the contact, the tenor and if the contact was radio call initiated.
This analysis of the data revealed bicycle patrols lead to a higher number of contacts with the public. This increase is weighted towards a higher number of contacts that were rated as a non-serious, while no significant corresponding drop in serious contacts were shown. The number of radio calls for bicycle patrols to respond to was far lower while their ability to respond in some cases was superior.