Christopher D. Berk. Democracy in Captivity: Prisoners, Patients, and the Limits of Self-Government. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023.
DOI: 10.1525/9780520394964

Publisher page: Link
Purchase: Amazon / Powell’s
Library access: JSTOR / De Gruyter

Overview

Can democratic practices take root where those subject to authority cannot replace or hold their rulers accountable? Democracy in Captivity investigates efforts to introduce participation, representation, and voice within prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and other custodial institutions. These reforms promise inclusion, dignity, and shared governance. Yet they unfold in environments where ultimate authority remains firmly beyond the reach of those who live there.

The book argues that participatory initiatives inside sites of confinement often generate a paradox. They create new opportunities for consultation and expression while simultaneously stabilizing the institutional arrangements that limit political power. By examining how democracy operates under conditions of custody, the book offers a broader account of legitimacy, citizenship, and the limits of self-government in modern states.

Central Question

What does democracy require when people are governed but lack the power to remove those who rule them?

Contribution

The book contributes to debates in:

  • democratic theory and legitimacy
  • prison and hospital governance
  • citizenship and political exclusion
  • institutional participation
  • authority, domination, and reform

Who might find this useful?

Scholars and students working on:

  • mass incarceration and penal policy
  • procedural justice and legitimacy
  • participatory governance
  • abolition, reform, and institutional change
  • law and society

Reviews & discussions

  • Review in Theory & Event — Link

Related work by the author

Suggested citation

Berk, Christopher D. 2023. Democracy in Captivity: Prisoners, Patients, and the Limits of Self-Government. University of California Press.

[Cite with BibTeX]
@book{berk2023democracy,
  title={Democracy in Captivity: Prisoners, Patients, and the Limits of Self-Government},
  author={Berk, Christopher D},
  year={2023},
  publisher={Univ of California Press}
}