Why do the UK and US disproportionately incarcerate the mentally ill, frequently poor people of color? Via multiple re-framings of the question-theological, socioeconomic, and psychological- Andrew Skotnicki diagnoses a "e;persecution of the prophetic"e; at the heart of the contemporary criminal justice system.This interdisciplinary book draws on criminology, theology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and psychiatric history to consider the increasingly intractable issue of mass incarceration. Inviting a new, collaborative conversation on penal reform as a fundamentally "e;life-affirming"e; project, it defends the dignity of those diagnosed as mentally unstable and their capacity for spiritual transcendence.