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.
