Skip to main content
book cover for Too Easy to Keep

Too Easy to Keep

Life-Sentenced Prisoners and the Future of Mass Incarceration

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

Cancel

1

To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

2

Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.

Pub Date Dec 19 2018 | Archive Date Jan 21 2019

Nonfiction (Adult) | Professional & Technical

Talking about this book? Use #TooEasyToKeep #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!

Description

“Some guys don’t break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don’t commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our LWOPs [life without parole]. They’re usually our easiest keepers.”
 
Too Easy to Keep provides much-needed attention to a neglected group of American prisoners – the large and growing population of those serving life sentences.  Relying heavily on extensive interviews with lifers and with prison staff, Too Easy to Keep charts the challenges that a life sentence poses—both to the prisoner and the staffer charged with caring for them.  Surprisingly, many lifers show remarkable resilience and craft lives of notable purpose.  Yet their eventual decline will pose challenges for the institutions that house them.  Rich in data, Too Easy to Keep illustrates the harsh consequences of excessive sentences, and demonstrates a keen need to reconsider punishment policy.

“Some guys don’t break any rules. They do their jobs, they go to school, they don’t commit any infractions, they keep their cells clean and tidy, and they follow the rules. And usually those are our...
Read More Read More

Advance Praise

“By giving agency to prisoners through narrative, Steve Herbert draws into sharp relief the limits of the narrow correctional labeling of life-sentenced prisoners as ‘easy keepers,’ providing deep insights that will be of great interest to diverse audiences.”—Benjamin Fleury-Steiner, University of Delaware


“If one were to read only one book on life-sentenced prisoners, this would be it. Herbert writes beautifully, clearly, and compellingly, reinforcing and extending the main points of a growing body of research on lifer adjustment.”—Robert Johnson, American University

“By giving agency to prisoners through narrative, Steve Herbert draws into sharp relief the limits of the narrow correctional labeling of life-sentenced prisoners as ‘easy keepers,’ providing deep...

Read More Read More

Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780520300514
PRICE $27.95 (USD)
PAGES 172

Links

Additional Information

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use the site, you are agreeing to our cookie policy. You'll also find information about how we protect your personal data in our privacy policy.