‘So far we have successfully avoided loss of life during serious disturbances but if the present trend continues there will be a serious loss of control... In such circumstances there is a probability of both staff and prisoners being killed.’ This dramatic warning, given by the prison governors to the Labour Home Secretary, Mr Merlyn Rees, stimulated the setting up of the May Committee in 1978. That Committee then reported and revealed how dangerously explosive the prison system had become. The time was exactly right therefore for a book like Prison Crisis, originally published in 1980, to draw together all of the issues to provide an agenda for public and politicians to use this best chance in one hundred years for a major reform of the prison system. One issue above all symbolises those which affect the prison system and the prison service, and of course the prisoners themselves; for it exposes why the system is dangerously close to breakdown:- ‘The extent of prison overcrowding is a national disgrace. In 1978, for the first time, as many as 16,000 inmates in some of the most primitive of Britain’s prisons were forced to live two or three to a cell which the Victorians had built to hold one. They have not even washbasins in their cells, let alone lavatories... Sometime prisoners are locked in together for twenty-three hours out of twenty-four, sleeping, smoking eating, urinating and defecating without privacy in sickening sight, smell and sound of each other.’ The author, who had been Home Affairs Correspondent of The Times for ten years, raises, as Sir Robert Marks puts it in his Foreword, ‘all sorts of issues which could and should be of great interest to a caring public’ and which now demand decision and action: how best to hold the top-security prisoners, including terrorists, how prisons are often forced, with psychiatric cases, to do the job of hospitals; ‘the academies of crime’, detention centres and borstals; the rise in female, and particularly juvenile crime; violence in prisons and riot control; the prisoners’ rights movement; discontent among prison officers not just over pay but over the status of their job and the importance of their role in re-educating prisoners; the governors’ position of responsibility without power; the low political priority given by Government. Finally, in a chapter aptly called ‘Rescuing the Prisons’, Peter Evans conducts a wide-ranging, well informed and radical debate on what, at different levels, needed to be done to make a system rooted in the nineteenth century fit for the twenty-first century and still retain the sense that prisons are above all a moral issue.

′Punishment and Prisons is a scholarly, powerful and inspirational critique. With passion and humanity, Joe Sim strips neo-liberal penal policies of their reformist pretensions and demonstrates that prisons will continue to be brutal enforcers of gross economic inequalities until such time as the abolitionist alternative is realised′ - Pat Carlen Joe Sim has long occupied a key position in British and European criminology. This book is a genuinely important addition to the literature; it is controversial and will stimulate debate. Punishment and Prisons shows that critical criminology is alive, that it has a voice and that it needs to be read. - Peter Young, Professor of Criminology, University of Hull ′A satisfyingly uncompromising critique that has no fear of coming to clear conclusions and provides little succour to those satisfied with short term change in the current system. Sim provides the kind of concise, articulate and powerful critique of apparent criminological realities, which is necessary to motivate genuine reform and can help to ensure that practitioners and others do not forget the big picture.′ - Probation Journal Joe Sim offers a rich and persuasive analysis of imprisonment, providing a wealth of political and policy detail. He makes his reader confront the cruelties of imprisonment as well as its ineffectiveness in reducing crime, and it would surely be impossible to read this book without feeling profound disquiet about the deployment of the power to punish in contemporary Britain. Punishment and Prisons has a breadth and depth of scholarship, arguing powerfully for a more critical criminology and an abolitionist stance towards imprisonment. I urge all those interested in penal policy - whether as students, teachers, researchers, reformers, politicians or penal professionals - to read this important and disturbing book. - Professor Barbara Hudson, Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, University of Central Lancashire With prisons overflowing and penal policy the topic of hot debate, Punishment and Prisons: Power and the Carceral State presents a lively and accessible discussion of possible solutions to the current crisis, by one of the foremost scholars in the field. Joe Sim traces the development of penal strategy over the past three decades, through a critical analysis of the relationship between penal policy and state power. Exploring the contested histories of punishment that are prominent in criminology, and its development in penal policy, the book analyses four key dimensions of modern penal trends: " continuity and discontinuity in penal policy and practice " reform and rehabilitation " contesting penal power " abolitionism. Articulate, innovative and theoretically informed, Punishment and Prisons: Power and the Carceral State offers a critical overview of contemporary penal politics that will prove a compelling addition to the criminological library. The book is written for not only for students and academics but also for those involved in the debates on penal policy - including prison reform groups, politicians and the media. It offers a series of suggestions for alleviating the current crisis, setting out a policy agenda for transforming the role and place of the prison in the criminal justice system.

'.. the most authoritative and sophisticated textbook on the penal system of England and Wales. It is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the causes, character and consequences of the current penal 'crisis'. David Downes, Mannheim Centre of Criminology, London School of Economics. 'What do you look for in a good textbook ? You would expect it to be as up-to-date as possible. To be presented in a clear and accessible style. To cover the issues comprehensively. The Penal System delivers in all of these ways. Mick Cavadino and Jim Dignan write with passion and authority, which makes for an immensely readable book. If there is such a thing as an ideal textbook, then this is it.' George Mair, Professor in Criminal Justice, Liverpool John Moores University. '...remains the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and readable text on the subject.' Yvonne Jewkes, Reader in Criminology, The Open University 'The perfect mix of the theoretical and the practical, Cavadino and Dignan's updated book is the smartest, cutting-edge textbook available on the crucial subject of penology.' Shadd Maruna, Queen's University Belfast '.....the book remains an essential resource for students in criminology and criminal justice. The authors are hugely effective in delivering a comprehensive guide to criminal justice issues in the 21st century. Students will also find the self-study guide to electronic sources immensely helpful.' Loraine Gelsthorpe, University of Cambridge. The revised and updated edition of this bestselling textbook is the most integrated and authoritative overview of the penal system available. The Penal System provides a complete introduction to all aspects of punishment within the wider context of the criminal justice system. It covers all the key theories and topics that a student of criminology or criminal justice needs to know about in their course. The new edition features: " Coverage of the deepening penal crisis " New material on restorative justice " Discussion of recent theoretical developments " An overview of changes in the prison and probation services (NOMS) " Critical analysis of recent developments in criminal justice policy " A glossary of key terms and abbreviations " An extended self-study guide to internet resources " A companion website to keep students and teachers up-to-date with relevant legislation. www.sagepub.co.uk/thepenalsystem Building on the strengths of the third edition, The Penal System remains the most comprehensive analysis of theory, research and policy in the area. Praise for previous editions: "There are few 'must buy' books for students of criminology and criminal justice, but since its first edition in 1992 The Penal System: An Introduction has been one of them. For accuracy and scope, as well as its remarkable combination of scholarly rigour and readability, the book has no equal, and it has only got better through successive editions." David Smith, Professor of Criminology, Lancaster University. "For more than ten years Cavadino and Dignan have provided by far the best policy relevant and theoretically informed account of the British penal system. This new edition has only the high standards of its predecessors to beat. Cavadino and Dignan may not have managed to change the penal system for the better with their book, but no one has delivered a more accessible or intelligent account of why it is so hard to reform." Mike Nellis, Professor of Criminal and Community Justice, University of Strathclyde

In this fascinating new work, Karen Duke explores the conflicts and contradictory pressures in the development of prison drugs policy in Britain from 1980 to the present. Based on interviews with key policy actors and documentary analysis, it explores how policy networks around drug issues in prisons have attempted to contain the contradictions between treatment and punishment and how their activities have been shaped by the ways in which the drugs issue is framed, the roles of research, evidence and knowledge, and the impact of wider social, political, policy and institutional contexts.

This book presents both a survey of and commentary upon the penal process of England and Wales between 1945 and 2020 from the primary perspective of prisons and their operational management. Part I focusses on the extent to which governmental polities, changing concepts in penology and significant events affected the performance and management of prisons during four key periods: 1945-1991; 1991-1997; 1997-2007 and 2007-2020. Part II presents a vision for more effective operation of prisons within the wider penal process in the 2020s and beyond. It draws upon the author's academic insights and his experience as a former prison governor. This book speaks to those in the social sciences, law and politics and to professionals in government and in the penal system who are interested in reform.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Prison Conditions and Penal Policy presents the results of a worldwide exchange of information on the impact of COVID-19 in prisons. It also focuses on the human rights questions that have been raised during the pandemic, relating to the treatment of prisoners in institutions for both juveniles and adults worldwide. The first part brings together the findings and conclusions of leading prison academics and practitioners, presenting national reports with information on the prison system, prison population rates, how COVID-19 was and is managed in prisons, and its impact on living conditions inside prisons and on reintegration programmes. Forty-four countries are covered – many in Europe, but also Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Perú, Costa Rica, Canada, the USA, Kenya, South Africa, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In the second part, thematic chapters concentrate explicitly on the impact of the pandemic on the application of international human rights standards in prisons and on worldwide prison population rates. The book concludes by drawing out the commonalities and diverging practices between jurisdictions, discussing the impact of measures introduced and reflecting on what could be learnt from policies that emerged during the pandemic. Particular attention is paid to whether "reductionist" strategies that emerged during the pandemic can be used to counteract mass incarceration and prison overcrowding in the future. Although the book reflects the situation until mid 2021, after the second and during the third wave of the pandemic, it is highly relevant to the current situation, as the living conditions in prisons did not change significantly during the following waves, which showed high infection rates (in particular in the general population), but increased vaccination rates, too. In prisons, problems the pandemic raises have an even greater impact than for the general society. Revealing many notable and interesting changes in prison life and in release programmes, this book is essential reading for students and scholars of penology, criminology, law, sociology and public health. It will also appeal to criminal justice practitioners and policy makers.

Supporting students across their entire module, this authoritative and widely respected text has been fully updated to include the most recent changes in the field and has expanded coverage of restorative justice, gender, and comparative issues

Understanding prisons and the policies surrounding them is of fundamental importance to students and practitioners of criminology and related fields. This concise and accessible guide offers a compendium of key information, theories, concepts, research and policy, presenting a rounded and critical overview of the prison system in England and Wales. Covering the historical and contemporary context of prisons, the text guides the reader through the work of prison officers, a tour of international prisons and how prison life is experienced by different groups, such as women. Focusing on the experiences of stakeholder groups and the themes of power, legitimacy and rehabilitation, the book concludes with an overview of the future challenges for prisons. Each chapter includes key learning features: - end of chapter questions; - definitions of key terms and concepts; - examples and illustrative case studies; - learning outcomes; - summary boxes of major research studies and further reading.

The impact of the United Nations "Healthy Prisons" initiative has highlighted the importance of health and health promotion in incarcerated populations. This invaluable book discusses the many health and medical issues that arise or are introduced into prisons from the perspective of both inmates and prison staff. Health and Health Promotion in Prison places key issues in prison healthcare into a historical perspective and investigates contemporary policy drivers. It then addresses the significant legal issues relating to health in prison settings and the human rights implications and questions that arise. The book presents a useful framework for health education in prison and a model for introducing structural, policy and health-related changes based on the UN Health in Prisons model, and also includes a special chapter on mental health issues. Providing a comprehensive and thought-provoking overview of health promotion issues in correctional environments, this is an essential reference for all those involved in prison healthcare.

This volume on penitentiary systems in the Americas offers a long-overdue look at the prisons that exist at the forefront of the ongoing struggle against drugs and violence throughout North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. From Haiti to Bolivia, the authors examine the conditions in these systems, and allow several common themes to emerge, including the alarming prevalence of lengthy pre-trial detention and the often abysmal living conditions in these institutions. Taken together, this comprises the first comparative overview of the use and abuse of prisons in the Americas.