NCJ Number
173828
Editor(s)
R Matthews,
P Francis
Date Published
1996
Length
281 pages
Annotation
This volume evaluates the changing role of imprisonment in contemporary society and explores possibilities for penal reform.
Abstract
The 12 essays in the book discuss, among other themes: (1) the relationship between crime and imprisonment; (2) the soaring costs of incarceration; (3) the growing recognition of the dangerous and alienating effects that warehousing can produce, not only on prisoners, but also on their families and dependents; (4) reestablishment of rehabilitation as one of the primary objectives of penal policy; (5) the changing composition of prison populations; (6) the disproportionate number of inmates from minority groups; (7) safeguarding the rights of foreign prisoners; (8) improving the nature of women's imprisonment; (9) penal reform in Eastern Europe; (10) privatization of prisons; and (11) social justice and safeguarding prisoners' rights. Articles in the book gravitate toward the "progressive paradigm," which is concerned with prison standards, humane treatment for prisoners and rejection of discriminatory practices. References, notes, tables, figures, index