Maya schenwar is the author of locked down locked out why prison doesnt work and how we can do better and is editor in chief of truthout she has written about the prison industrial complex for truthout the new york times the guardian the nation salon ms magazine and others. In locked down locked out why prison doesnt work and how we can do better the author maya schenwar invites readers to share her personal experiences with an imprisoned family member while educating them about the failed practices and policies of our nations prison system as schenwar puts it incarceration serves as the default answer to many of the worst social problems plaguing this country not because it solves them but because it buries them prisons do not . Locked down locked out why prison doesnt work and how we can do better locked down locked out maya schenwar berrett koehler publishers nov 10 2014 law 264 pages 1 review through. Locked down locked out looks at how prison tears families and communities apart creating a rippling effect that touches every corner of our society through the stories of prisoners and their families as well as her own familys experience of. The similarities between mass incarceration and mass murder have been haunting me for a while and i now find myself inspired by maya schenwars excellent new book locked down locked out why prison doesnt work and how we can do better this is one of three books everyone should read right away