A History of Prison and Confinement in Africa (Social History of Africa)

Historians of Africa working in the US, Europe, and Africa place the emergence of the modern prison in Africa within historical perspective by illuminating the articulation between ancient systems of physical captivity and the importation of foreign penitentiary systems. They explain that though penal incarceration was unknown in sub-Saharan societies until introduced by European colonists, it has been unanimously maintained by post-colonial governments as the heart of their legal systems. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)