Punishment for Sale is the definitive modern history of private prisons, told through social, economic and political frames. The authors explore the origin of the ideas of modern privatization, the establishment of private prisons, and the efforts to keep expanding in the face of problems and bad publicity. The book provides a balanced telling of the story of private prisons and the resistance they engendered within the context of criminology, and it is intended for supplemental use in undergraduate and graduate courses in criminology, social problems, and race & ethnicity.

Donna Selman is assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at Eastern Michigan University. She has contributed to the book Battleground: Criminal Justice.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 The Crime "Problem" and the Free Market "Solution"
Chapter 3 The Big Government "Problem" and the Kentucky Fried Prison "Solution"
Chapter 4 The Prison-Industrial Complex: Profits, Vested Interests and Politics
Chapter 5 Confronting Problems: Blame Prisoners and Contracts Then Get A Bailout
Chapter 6 A Critical Look at the Efficiency and Overhead Costs of Private Prisons
Chapter 7 Conclusion
Chapter 8 Appendix
Chapter 9 References