A history of incarceration in Texas from the early establishment of Texas to present day, definitely a powerful subject to be discussed. As a state famous for its tough on crime mentality learning about how Texas has handled itself and handled its prisoners would be a fascinating case study in criminal justice.

Though some may dislike how Texas handles itself today, it can not be denied that they haven't always worked to protect their law-abiding citizens from crime and violence. Overall, this is an excellent well-researched book that provides a fascinating picture of how justice has been implemented by the Lone Star State, take it with wrinkles and all and you will learn a lot. ( )

Texas's criminal justice system gets thrust into the spotlight every few years for various reasons--our death penalty, the crime labs, sentencing issues...Perkinson takes one aspect of the criminal justice system, the penal system, and traces its history in the context of the rest of the country. Many of the issues surrounding prisons on a national level can be examined in Texas over a fairly long history. This book allows the reader to begin a longer examination of the prison systems in America because of his careful research and citations. This would make an excellent book to accompany a criminal justice course, though it doesn't make for good bedtime reading. ( )

I found the book impossible to get through.

While there probably are interesting conclusions to be drawn from from the history of imprisonment in Texas and elsewhere in the US, Perkinson's obvious liberal bias made me conclude that his version of events was not likely to be close enough to the truth to wade through the entire book.

I was a prosecutor for long enough to understand that there are no simple answers to the problems of criminal justice. Approaching criminal justice problems with political preconceptions is highly counterproductive in that it obscures the facts. Unfortunately this book is a case in point. ( )

Texas Tough by Robert Perkinson is a very well documented book about the history of incarceration in Texas, the South and the rest of the United States. If you are writing about prisons and looking at the history of housing prisoners in the US and Texas this is a good book and a good reference. I agree that there should be some reforms in who goes to prison but some of Perkinson's ideas are not realistic given the current state of the economy.
At least Perkinson lets the reader know well in advance of where he is coming from with his opinions and how and why he feels the way he does. Which I found interesting and allowed me to understand how is views were shaped. ( )

An interesting, well researched book. It does a great job of considering societal and historical context. It can get a bit graphic at times, but how could it not? It will inspire you to do more of your own research (like going to the current Texas Department of Corrections website) because you can't help but realize that this is a work in progress. It will make you angry, sad, frustrated, and incredibly disappointed. The one complaint I have about the book is that it doesn't really offer the counterargument or opposing views. I really think that it weakens your own argument when you don't address the counter. At the same time, though, it tries to remind you that, even in little ways, progress has been made.

Although this book focuses on Texas (and Southern states), it is very easy to imagine it being applicable to other states.