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How to Use Th is Book Prisons and Punishment in America: Examining the Facts is the latest volume in ABC-CLIO’s Contemporary Debates reference series. Each title in this series, which is intended for use by high school and undergraduate stu- dents as well as members of the general public, examines the veracity of controversial claims or beliefs surrounding a major political/cultural issue in the United States. The purpose of the series is to give readers a clear and unbiased understanding of current issues by informing them about falsehoods, half-truths, and misconceptions—and confi rming the factual validity of other assertions—that have gained traction in America’s polit- ical and cultural discourse. Ultimately, this series has been crafted to give readers the tools for a fuller understanding of controversial issues, policies, and laws that occupy center stage in American life and politics. Each volume in this series identifi es thirty to forty questions swirling about the larger topic under discussion. These questions are examined in individualized entries, which are in turn arranged in broad subject chap- ters that cover certain aspects of the issue being examined, that is, history of concern about the issue, potential economic or social impact, fi ndings of latest scholarly research, and so on. Each chapter features four to ten individual entries. Each entry begins by stating an important and/or well-known Question about the issue being studied. The entry then provides a concise and objective one- or two-paragraph Answer to the featured question, followed by a more