ABSTRACT
This new perspective represents a turnaround of sorts, a move away from the apparent consensus that emerged in the closing decades of the 20th century, when the era of mass incarceration was in full swing. Specifically, the notion that imprisonment per se inflicted relatively little measurable psychological harm appeared to be widely accepted – tacitly agreed upon in some circles, openly touted in others. This assertion – and the related suggestion that most corrections experts shared the view – served as implicit reassurance that the punitive policies of the day really had no downside. That is, if prison did no real damage to the sturdy souls whom we sent there, then locking up the most people we could for the longest possible periods of time would inflict little or no lasting harm.
