{"product_id":"montana-justice-power-punishment-and-the-penitentiary-9780295984438","title":"Montana Justice: Power, Punishment, and the Penitentiary","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince the days of the wild West, \u003ci\u003eMontana\u003c\/i\u003ens have struggled to be \"tough on crime\" with limited resources. During \u003ci\u003eMontana\u003c\/i\u003e's early territorial years, \"criminal justice\" was almost nonexistent: a few towns had inadequate and chronically overcrowded jails; occasional prisoners were sent east to the federal penitentiary in Detroit; and vigilantes summarily dealt with others suspected of crimes. In 1871, the federal government funded a penitentiary in Deer Lodge that was turned over to \u003ci\u003eMontana\u003c\/i\u003e when it achieved statehood in 1889. In this absorbing book, Keith Edgerton provides a social history of the \u003ci\u003eMontana\u003c\/i\u003e Penitentiary, with a primary focus on its early, formative years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter statehood, \u003ci\u003eMontana\u003c\/i\u003e leased its penitentiary to contractors, who utilized cheap inmate labor to turn a profit for themselves and for the state. Warden Frank Conley became a regional political boss and amassed a personal fortune, using inmates for road construction and a variety of public and private projects. Eventually, charges of corruption led to his ouster by Governor Joseph M. Dixon and sparked a trial and heated controversy that resulted in Dixon's political downfall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter 1921 the prison system came under full control of the state government. Although there were changes at the penitentiary during the rest of the twentieth century--and two full-scale riots in the 1950s--there was also a depressing repetition of corruption, neglect, and underfunding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Keith Edgerton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Washington Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.68lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.02h x 6.12w x 0.52d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780295984438\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2005 pg. 1882\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKeith Edgerton\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of history at Montana State University-Billings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Washington Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39949066109043,"sku":"9.78E+12","price":26.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_c5230a6a-2194-4f0b-bda5-b11e28858ad6.jpg?v=1648475902","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/montana-justice-power-punishment-and-the-penitentiary-9780295984438","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}