American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer

American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment, by Shane Bauer, is an eye-opening investigative look into the for-profit prison system of the United States. Bauer is an award-winning investigative reporter and a senior reporter at Mother Jones. In American Prison, he takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey–one that he personally experienced–into the inner workings of the country’s prisons.

Bauer's journey began when he took a job as a guard at a private prison in Louisiana. He posed as an applicant in order to gain an insider’s perspective on what these institutions are really like. He quickly discovers the staggering number of inmates behind bars on account of minor, nonviolent offenses. He also learns about the brutal conditions of the prison–from its underfunding, to its abusive staff members, to its high rate of recidivism.

The inmates at the prison Bauer visits come from a variety of backgrounds, but the vast majority of them are African American. Through his conversations with inmates, Bauer uncovers the stories of a few at the center of his narrative, probing into the intersections of poverty, racism, and mass incarceration. He finds out how for-profit prisons exploit and manipulate Black prisoners for their own financial gain. He witnesses how the inmates are subjected to dangerous and inhumane conditions, unable to challenge their unfair sentences or gain relief.

In American Prison, Bauer reveals the truth about the prison-industrial complex. He reports on the human cost of mass incarceration and attempts to put a face to what are otherwise statistics and facts in a ledger. He discovers how inmates are just one piece of the much larger puzzle of the for-profit prison industry, which is filled with self-interest and profit incentives.

Through his meticulous research, interviews, and vivid storytelling, Bauer brings to light the failures of the American justice system. American Prison is an incisive exposé of a system that fractures lives and families, leaving the already marginalized even further behind. It is an essential read for those interested in prison reform, social justice, and civil rights.