Ultimately, the goal of this text is to instill a sense of critical thinking in its readers. Corrections is not a steadily progressing series of developments marching toward fairer and more humane treatment of offenders, nor is it the case that all corrections workers are heartless individuals who want to exact revenge on the people they control and supervise. A realistic picture of the correctional system—one that allows for a necessary and critical review—must present its particularities and complexities. Only in so doing can there be an effective and thoughtful discussion of what it will take to transform the system to meet the needs of a new age.

• To understand the basic purpose and structure of the corrections system and how it relates to the justice system as a whole.
• To identify some of the societal factors that influence the corrections system and some of the ways that corrections impacts society.
• To gain a critical perspective and an insight into our complex corrections system and some of the serious issues it faces, with an eye toward what works.
• To be introduced to the enormous changes in corrections in the past 30 years, including “mass incarceration” and its associated monetary and societal costs.
• To begin to grasp the ebb and flow of correctional philosophy in the United States, and the balance point between punishment and rehabilitation.
• To be introduced to the authors’ approach in this book, which encourages readers to ask why the system is the way it is, what works and what does not work to fulfill the system’s purposes, and what can be done to improve the system.