THOMSON, Ill., March 15, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Across the country, prisoners suffer in overcrowded, understaffed facilities that do little to reform their behavior. Meanwhile, as the revolving doors of the nation's jails keep turning, taxpayers foot the bill. In their new book, American Gulag (now available through AuthorHouse), Lawrence and Luanne Bruckner detail what is wrong with the system and the steps needed to fix it.
"Everyone who pays taxes in America should be outraged by the time they finish reading this book," the authors write. American Gulag first focuses on a textbook case of waste that has occurred in the Bruckners' own backyard. Thomson Correctional Center was constructed as a modern facility that would take the burden off other prisons in Illinois. Five years later, the $143 million project stands empty and unused, and the issues surrounding the existing state facilities linger. The Bruckners delve into the thought processes that drive decisions such as this, tracing the crux of current prison problems to inflexible sentencing laws that emerged in the early 1980s. Today, wastefulness is rampant in the criminal justice system, according to the Bruckners, who emphasize three categories of this problem: human, social and moral waste.
American Gulag examines criminal justice issues from the prisoner's perspective and that of the average citizen. From the abandonment of programs that effectively curb recidivism to harsh prison sentences that do not fit the crimes to bureaucratic tangles that absorb money without providing positive action, a variety of topics are carefully presented in a critical examination of this country's prisons.
Lawrence Bruckner is a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Illinois. He is a life member of the inner circle of U.S. Republican Senators and the Republican National Committee and has served many roles in politics, both local and national. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in three years from Trinity College and earned his Juris Doctorate from The College of William and Mary.
Luanne Bruckner is a descendant of the Mayflower pilgrims and shares her husband's love of reading and traveling.
Married for 24 years, the Bruckners are both natives of Thomson, Ill. Among his many professional endeavors, Lawrence practiced law in Dixon, Ill., where Luanne worked as his paralegal. American Gulag is their first book.
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