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Palgrave Macmillan

Prisons and Imprisonment

An Introduction

  • Textbook
  • © 2023

Overview

Authors:
  1. Cormac Behan

    1. School of Social Sciences, Law, and Education, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

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  2. Abigail Stark

    1. School of Justice, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Examines current issues on prisons and imprisonment in England and Wales

  • Includes many pedagogic features including chapter outlines, summaries, questions, case studies etc

  • Incorporates International examples

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Introduction

    • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
    Pages 1-10

  3. Punishment and Prison

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11
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    2. The Prison Emerges

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 13-30

    3. Justifying Imprisonment as Punishment

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 31-50

    4. Who Is Punished?

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 51-72

  4. Understanding the Experiences of the Prison

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73
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    2. Life, Culture and Adaptation in Prison

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 75-92

    3. The Gendered Nature of Imprisonment

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 93-113

    4. Prisoners and Protest

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 115-133

    5. Prison in Popular Culture

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 135-153

  5. The Penal Framework

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 155-155
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    2. Prisoners’ Rights

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 157-176

    3. Governing Prisons

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 177-193

    4. Working in Prison

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 195-211

    5. The Architecture of Incarceration

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 213-230

  6. Politics and Penality

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 231-231
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    2. Comparative Penology

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 233-255

    3. The Future of the Prison

      • Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark
      Pages 257-277

  7. Researching Prisons and Imprisonment

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 279-279
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Keywords

About this book

This textbook examines prisons and imprisonment. Historically, prisons and prisoners have been a source of interest to the general public. However, despite near universal acceptance of imprisonment as a feature of society, we know relatively little about the reality of prison life, or the effects it has on individuals and communities. Using academic scholarship, empirical research, government papers, policy reports, and accounts from lived experiences of the institution, this book analyses the complexities and contradictions of prison life, the place of the prison in twenty-first century society, and its prospects for the future. This book will introduce readers to key debates surrounding the use of imprisonment, and challenge readers to interrogate conventional perspectives on an institution that reflects the society in which it is situated.

Reviews

In producing such a comprehensive book, Behan and Stark have done a great service to those who teach modules on prisons and imprisonment. They have bridged the gap between the numerous research monographs on imprisonment which are too narrowly focused for students new to the topic, and edited collections which often lack the required structure for an introductory text. For anyone looking for an accessible key text to support their module – this is it! Dr. Andrew Henley, Associate Professor of Criminology at University of Nottingham 

This is a brilliantly written and accessible textbook that introduces an impressive range of classic and contemporary penal perspectives. Behan and Stark skilfully profile the influential work of both established penal scholars and exciting emerging scholars in the field. The authors' meticulous approach to charting who the people are that fill our prisons and the powerful structural forces that contribute to their penal pathways is highly valuable for the reform project.  A vital resource, not just for students, but anybody else working in and around prisons and criminal justice. Dr David Maguire, Senior Research Fellow at UCL’s Institute of Education and Programme Director at the Prison Reform Trust


Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Social Sciences, Law, and Education, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Cormac Behan

  • School of Justice, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK

    Abigail Stark

About the authors

Cormac Behan is Lecturer in Criminology at the Technological University Dublin, Ireland. 

Abigail Stark is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Central Lancashire, UK.   

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Prisons and Imprisonment

  • Book Subtitle: An Introduction

  • Authors: Cormac Behan, Abigail Stark

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09301-2

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-09300-5Published: 10 January 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-09301-2Published: 01 January 2023

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 322

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 5 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Prison and Punishment

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