Are more people being imprisoned throughout the world? Why is imprisonment still being used on a wide scale when an increasing number of alternatives are available? What are the major developments in prison law in the last decade? What problems arise in prison systems when states become constitutional democracies for the first time? Should prisons be privatized? How can prison conditions and prisoners' rights be improved? What special measures should there be for women, juveniles, violent offenders or drug addicts in prison? What programmes work effectively under which conditions? The second edition of "Imprisonment Today and Tomorrow" presents much fresh information in its attempts to provide answers to these and other crucial questions. It provides authoritative accounts by leading national experts on the place of imprisonment in 26 penal systems of major countries throughout the world. In addition, through the chapters on the work of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Punishment, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations, it sheds new light on international initiatives to promote prison standards. These are complemented by a comparative survey of world prison populations and a final chapter in which the editors evaluate developments described in this volume and elsewhere in order to arrive at conclusions about international trends and to make well-grounded proposals for prison reform.

Are more people being imprisoned throughout the world? Why is imprisonment still being used on a wide scale when an increasing number of alternatives are available? What are the major developments in prison law in the last decade? What problems arise in prison systems when states become constitutional democracies for the first time? Should prisons be privatized? How can prison conditions and prisoners' rights be improved? What special measures should there be for women, juveniles, violent offenders or drug addicts in prison? What programmes work effectively under which conditions? The second edition of "Imprisonment Today and Tomorrow" presents much fresh information in its attempts to provide answers to these and other crucial questions. It provides authoritative accounts by leading national experts on the place of imprisonment in 26 penal systems of major countries throughout the world. In addition, through the chapters on the work of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Punishment, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations, it sheds new light on international initiatives to promote prison standards. These are complemented by a comparative survey of world prison populations and a final chapter in which the editors evaluate developments described in this volume and elsewhere in order to arrive at conclusions about international trends and to make well-grounded proposals for prison reform.

Prisons Today and Tomorrow, Second Edition uses current case studies and research to present balanced and comprehensive coverage of prisons and prisoners. Featuring chapters contributed by leading authorities on the modern prison system, this text examines the many purposes of prisons--punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation--and examines controversial issues such as whether imprisonment actually deters crime or merely serves as punishment.

The imprisonment rate in America has grown by a factor of five since 1972. In that time, punishment policies have toughened, compassion for prisoners has diminished, and prisons have gotten worse-a stark contrast to the origins of the prison 200 years ago as a humanitarian reform, a substitute for capital and corporal punishment and banishment. So what went wrong? How can prisons be made simultaneously more effective and more humane? Who should be sent there in the first place? What should happen to them while they are inside? When, how, and under what conditions should they be released? The Future of Imprisonment unites some of the leading prisons and penal policy scholars of our time to address these fundamental questions. Inspired by the work of Norval Morris, the contributors look back to the past twenty-five years of penal policy in an effort to look forward to the prison's twenty-first century future. Their essays examine the effects of current high levels of imprisonment on urban neighborhoods and the people who live in them. They reveal how current policies came to be as they are and explain the theories of punishment that guide imprisonment decisions. Finally, the contributors argue for the strategic importance of controls on punishment including imprisonment as a limit on government power; chart the rise and fall of efforts to improve conditions inside; analyze the theory and practice of prison release; and evaluate the tricky science of predicting and preventing recidivism. A definitive guide to imprisonment policies for the future, this volume convincingly demonstrates how we can prevent crime more effectively at lower economic and human cost.

The book focuses on one of the most problematic areas of Turkish penal justice: the overreliance on custodial measures and a corresponding growth in the prison population, and compares Turkey with two major European countries in this respect: England and Wales and Germany. The underlying question throughout the study is the extent to which prison alternatives can be seen as genuine alternatives to immediate custodial sentences.

Mass Incarceration on Trial examines a series of landmark decisions about prison conditions-culminating in Brown v. Plata, decided in May 2011 by the U.S. Supreme Court-that has opened an unexpected escape route from this trap of "tough on crime" politics. This set of rulings points toward values that could restore legitimate order to American prisons and, ultimately, lead to the demise of mass incarceration. This book offers a provocative and brilliant reading to the end of mass incarceration.

As heard on NPR's Fresh Air Recommended by The New York Times' Sam Roberts “Start Here is an urgent and timely primer on the approaches that are working and don’t require federal approval or political revolution to end one of the most pressing justice issues the country faces today.” —Brooklyn Daily Eagle A bold agenda for criminal justice reform based on equal parts pragmatism and idealism, from the visionary director of the Center for Court Innovation, a leader of the reform movement Everyone knows that the United States leads the world in incarceration, and that our political process is gridlocked. What can be done right now to reduce the number of people sent to jail and prison? This essential book offers a concrete roadmap for both professionals and general readers who want to move from analysis to action. In this forward-looking, next-generation criminal justice reform book, Greg Berman and Julian Adler of the Center for Court Innovation highlight the key lessons from these programs—engaging the public in preventing crime, treating all defendants with dignity and respect, and linking people to effective community-based interventions rather than locking them up. Along the way, they tell a series of gripping stories, highlighting gang members who have gotten their lives back on track, judges who are transforming their courtrooms, and reformers around the country who are rethinking what justice looks like. While Start Here offers no silver bullets, it does put forth a suite of proven reforms—from alternatives to bail to diversion programs for mentally ill defendants—that will improve the lives of thousands of people right now. Start Here is a must-read for everyone who wants to start dismantling mass incarceration without waiting for a revolution or permission. Proceeds from the book will support the Center for Court Innovation's reform efforts.