In American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment, Shane Bauer weaves a deep reckoning of his experience as a prison guard together with a thoroughly researched history of for-profit prisons in America.

Julie Gautreau, an attorney with the Knox County Public Defenders Community Law Office, adds local context to the issues in this discussion for Books Sandwiched In. "American Prison exposes all the moving parts of our industrialized system of incarceration: its roots in slavery, its disproportionate exploitation of minorities and the poor, the complacency of the justice system and the cynicism of the legislative bodies that use it for political leverage. American Prison is a study in everything that is wrong with American justice and American business," Gautreau said.

Music credit: "Three Stories" by Blue Dot Sessions, CC BY-NC 4.0