Penitentiaries, Reformatories, and Chain Gangs: Social Theory and the History of Punishment in Nineteenth-Century America is a non-fiction book written by Mark Colvin.

In this book, Colvin applies theoretical perspectives to changes in punishment that occurred in the United States penal system during the 19th century.

[6] Martha A. Myers, writing for The American Journal of Legal History says, "Multiple causal influences are always at work [because] human agency figures in each and every one of them.

[1][3][4] The book also illuminates the history of and the current state of punishment, the American criminal justice system, and the rehabilitation of offenders.

He also looks at how women were treated in reform institutions and how convict leasing and chain gangs in the South continued the practices of slavery, especially for black prisoners.

[6] The pervasive idea of what a good woman should be (Cult of True Womanhood) and the values of the middle class (bourgeois moral order) were connected.

[6] Henry Kamerling, who reviews this book for The Florida Historical Quarterly, says that recently, historians have been focusing more on the use of chain gangs and convict leasing in the Southern United States after the American Civil War.

"[1] Michael Donnelly, writing for Social Forces says that Colvin's book might be easier to understand for students because he simplifies complex topics.

He does a good job of bringing together different historical sources, but it would be even better if the book had pictures and charts to make it more engaging and easier to read.