This Is My Jail by Melanie Newport is a look at the large issue of mass incarceration through the lens of local jails, specifically Cook County and the Chicago area.

This is both a history and a sociological study, weaving the events and the ideas together to form a picture that shows the many missteps, intentional and not, in the constant and ongoing carceral reform movement(s) over time. There are the usual suspects, those who truly don't care about people because of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic group, but this also highlights those who mean well but don't offer changes that shift the paradigm, thus continuing to support the racist structure which is our "justice" system.

While the book is both informative and a good read, I was less impressed with the writing. It wasn't bad, far from it, but where something could have been stated more concisely Newport seemed to often opt for expressing it in what many take to be "academic" writing. First, this is an academic text even though it is accessible to any reader interested, so a certain level of such writing is expected even when not necessary. Second, and more to my point, is that writing that is more complex than necessary for what is being expressed is self-defeating. Many readers who might be able to use this in their activism may choose to skip it and read any of the other good books available on the topic. In other words, this appears to be more concerned with appealing to other academics than with those actually involved in the fight. That is disappointing.

Disappointment aside, this is a valuable work that needs to be read, or at least understood, by those on the ground. Highly recommended and, for those who are usually turned off by convoluted writing, stick with it, it is still quite accessible. Just read for the key points, they are important.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )