A prison in the woods : environment and incarceration in New York's north country / Clarence Jefferson Hall Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hall, Clarence Jefferson, Jr., author.

Series:

Environmental history of the Northeast

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prisons--New York (State)--History.

Prisons.

Environmental degradation--New York (State)--History.

Environmental degradation.

Environmental protection--New York (State)--History.

Environmental protection.

History.

Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.)--Economic conditions.

Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.).

Economic history.

New York (State).

New York (State)--Adirondack Mountains.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 249 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2020]

Summary:

"Since the mid-nineteenth century, Americans have known the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York as a site of industrial production, a place to heal from disease, and a sprawling outdoor playground that must be preserved in its wild state. Less well known, however, has been the area's role in hosting a network of state and federal prisons. A Prison in the Woods traces the planning, construction, and operation of penitentiaries in five Adirondack Park communities from the 1840s through the early 2000s to demonstrate that the histories of mass incarceration and environmental consciousness are interconnected. Clarence Jefferson Hall Jr. reveals that the introduction of correctional facilities-especially in the last three decades of the twentieth century-unearthed long-standing conflicts over the proper uses of Adirondack nature, particularly since these sites have contributed to deforestation, pollution, and habitat decline, even as they've provided jobs and spurred economic growth. Additionally, prison plans have challenged individuals' commitment to environmental protection, tested the strength of environmental regulations, endangered environmental and public health, and exposed tensions around race, class, place, and belonging in the isolated prison towns of America's largest state park"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One "This Great and Important Experiment" Nature, Business, and the Quest for Reform at Clinton State Prison

ch. Two "Attica of the Adirondacks" Environmental Politics and Mass Incarceration in Ray Brook

ch. Three "Who Is Going to Live In Gabriels?" Race, Class, and the Nature of Incarceration in Gabriels

ch. Four "A Poor Choice" Incarceration and the Legacies of Mining in Lyon Mountain

ch. Five "This Town Will Die" Pro-Prison Organizing and Environmental Politics in Tupper Lake.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781625345356

1625345356

9781625345363

1625345364

OCLC:

1154505788