Imprisonment Binge and “Get Tough” Movement

Abstract

This entry traces the “get tough” movement in the United States from its roots in early penal reform measures and the first imprisonment binge, to the questioning of progressive ideologies concerning offenders and practices used with them in the late 1960s. It largely focuses on the resulting practices that have led to today's high incarceration rate. Various policies that espouse the “get tough” philosophy are detailed as well. The entry concludes with a questioning of whether the cyclical nature of punishment regimes will eventually affect the current “get tough” mentality and imprisonment binge, or if the practices that have been largely adopted since the 1960s will be a part of the political, public, and policy discourse and practice for years to come.