The State of Our Prisons

John Howard's original "The State of Our Prisons" was a famous landmark in the history of literature on crime, criminal justice and attitudes to offenders in England and Wales. On publication towards the end of the 18th century, its impact was immediate and profound, effecting a change in attitude towards the incarceration of offenders. What, then, is the state of our prisons today, some 200 years after his death? In this original study, two leading experts offer a broad-ranging survey of the prison system. The result is a systematic and comprehensive account of the contemporary state of the prisons in England and Wales, which should contribute to the current debate on prison reform.