This book is now Out of Print.
A new edition has been published, the details can be seen here:
The Penal System 4th ed isbn 9781412929479

The Penal System 3rd ed

Subjects:
Criminology
Contents:
Crisis? What Crisis? / Justifying Punishment / Explaining Punishment / Court Decisions: The Crux of the Crisis / Community Penalties and the Future of Punishment / Prisons and the Penal Crisis / Prison Privatization / Panacea or Pandora's Box? / Early Release: The Penal System's Safety Valve / Young Offenders: Systems Management or System Disaster? / Bias in the Criminal Justice System / Solving the Crisis?

ISBN13: 9780761947431
ISBN: 0761947434
New Edition ISBN: 9781412929479
Published: December 2001
Publisher: Sage Publications Inc
Binding: Paperback
Price: Out of print

The Third Edition of this highly successful textbook provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the penal system of England and Wales. Now fully revised and updated, it includes an examination of the direction of penal policy under New Labour. The book: * offers an overview of all aspects of punishment and the penal system * provides an analyses of the theories which purport to justify and explain the practice of punishment * critically examines the so-called 'penal crisis' and offers a programme for radical reform * draws comparisons between the English penal system and others from around the world * includes a self-study guide, directing the reader to useful websites