Short Synopsis
In Incarceration Nations, Baz Dreisinger goes behind bars in nine countries to investigate the current conditions in prisons worldwide.

Full Synopsis
Beginning in Africa and ending in Europe, Incarceration Nations is a first-person odyssey through the prison systems of the world. Baz Dreisinger, a professor, journalist, and the founder of the Prison-to-College Pipeline, looks into the human stories of incarcerated men and women and those who imprison them, creating a jarring, poignant view of a world to which most are denied access.

From serving as a restorative justice facilitator in a notorious South African prison and working with genocide survivors in Rwanda, to launching a creative writing class in an overcrowded Ugandan prison and coordinating a drama workshop for women prisoners in Thailand, Dreisinger examines the world behind bars with equal parts empathy and intellect. She journeys to Jamaica to visit a prison music program, to Singapore to learn about approaches to prisoner reentry, to Australia to grapple with the bottom line of private prisons, to a federal supermax in Brazil to confront the horrors of solitary confinement, and finally to the so-called model prisons of Norway. Incarceration Nations concludes with climactic lessons about the past, present, and future of justice.

"An eye-opening, damning indictment of the American prison system and the way its sins reverberate around the globe." ---Kirkus

"In her storytelling [Dreisinger] provides balanced analysis, reflecting on the limitations of reform and questioning the efficacy of well-intentioned measures such as arts programs." ---Publishers Weekly

"Narrator Christina Delaine gives earnest voice to Dreisinger's odyssey, moving seamlessly between frustration and joy, setback and progress, recidivism and triumph." ---Library Journal Audio Review

"Christina Delaine offers an emotionally driven narration of this mix of memoir and investigation. . . . A provocative, wide-ranging listen for those interested in prison reform." ---AudioFile