Why prison?

7. Prison and the public sphere: toward a democratic theory of penal order*Mass incarceration / hyper-incarceration; Why prison?; Toward a democratic theory of penal order; Why democracy?; Civic engagement; De-democratisation; Mechanisms of civic engagement and penal policy; Race and democracy: black incorporation; Polarised public and harsh justice; Deliberative democracy and penal moderation; Concluding remarks; Part III. State detention; 8. The iron cage of prison studies; Rationale: why go beyond the penal institution?; Examples: varieties of imprisonment; Post-sentence detention.

Prison studies has experienced a period of great creativity in recent years, and this collection draws together some of the field's most exciting and innovative contemporary critical writers in order to engage directly with one of the most profound questions in penology - why prison? In addressing this question, the authors connect contemporary penological thought with an enquiry that has received the attention of some of the greatest thinkers on punishment in the past. Through critical exploration of the theories, policies and practices of imprisonment, the authors analyse why prison persists and why prisoner populations are rapidly rising in many countries. Collectively, the chapters provide not only a sophisticated diagnosis and critique of global hyper-incarceration but also suggest principles and strategies that could be adopted to radically reduce our reliance upon imprisonment

Prison studies has experienced a period of great creativity in recent years, and this collection draws together some of the field's most exciting and innovative contemporary critical writers in order to engage directly with one of the most profound questions in penology - why prison? In addressing this question, the authors connect contemporary penological thought with an enquiry that has received the attention of some of the greatest thinkers on punishment in the past. Through critical exploration of the theories, policies and practices of imprisonment, the authors analyse why prison persists and why prisoner populations are rapidly rising in many countries. Collectively, the chapters provide not only a sophisticated diagnosis and critique of global hyper-incarceration but also suggest principles and strategies that could be adopted to radically reduce our reliance upon imprisonment