# How Prisons are Governed

**URL:** <https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/how-prisons-are-governed>

**By** David Skarbek

**Published:** January 28, 2022

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David Skarbek joins us to discuss the variety of carceral methods used across the world, and why prisons differ so drastically across countries like the USA, Bolivia, and Norway.

## SUMMARY:

Why are prisons so different from nation to nation? And how are these institutions governed internally and externally? David Skarbek sits down with Trevor and Aaron to explore differing methods of incarceration, the issues with each method, and how, or if, a prison can be considered “successful.”  


## FURTHER READING:

[_The Puzzle of Prison Order: Why Life Behind Bars Varies Around the World_](https://www.amazon.com/Puzzle-Prison-Order-Behind-Varies/dp/0190672501)  
by David Skarbek

[_The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System_](https://www.amazon.com/Social-Order-Underworld-Prison-American/dp/0199328501)  
by David Skarbek