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Americans have been habituated throughout much of their history to indulge in a politics of moralism and law and order in the context of a state that, until recently, had rather limited capacity and legitimacy in the area of law enforcement.

— Marie Gottschalk The Prison and the Gallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America (2006)

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More quotes by Marie Gottschalk

Thanks to the escalation in the number of people serving life and other lengthy sentences, prisons are becoming maximum-security nursing homes.

Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics (2016)

In many European countries, if a “lifer” does not continue to pose a major threat to public safety, he or she is typically released after serving approximately twelve years. This is similar to the practice that used to prevail in many states.

Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics (2016)

The United States is an exceptionally militarized, lethal, and violent country. The growing concentration of economic, political, and military power is draining America of vital resources to sustain healthy and peaceful communities. It is pushing more people to the margins, where a police officer, prison cell, a tent, a military recruiter, or a deadly dose of fentanyl-laced heroin is waiting for them.

Crime and No Punishment: Wealth, Power, and Violence in America (2025)

[R]egistered sex offenders are subject to an Alice-in-Wonderland maze of civil commitment laws, and community notification, registration, and residency restrictions that amount to a kind of ritual exile.

Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics (2016)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Marie Gottschalk (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.