Alternatives to Prison

As the UK and many other western societies face up to the consequences of a rapidly increasing prison population, so the search for alternative approaches to punishment and dealing with offenders has become an increasingly urgent priority for government policy and society as a whole. Yet if alternatives are to be found, they must carry the confidence of the general public.This book reports the results of the research programme commissioned by the Coulsfield Inquiry into Alternatives to Prison, which was funded by the Esmee Fairbairn 'Rethinking Crime and Punishment' initiative. It is written by leading authorities in the field, and provides a comprehensive, authoritative and wide-ranging review of the range of issues associated with the use of non-custodial sanctions, examining experiences in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as England and Wales.The book will be essential reading not only for government policy makers and criminal justice practitioners but for anybody with a professional or academic interest in prison, probation and the nature of society's response to wrongdoing. It does not pretend to offer instant solutions to current policy issues, but, say the editors, 'summarises relevant research, provides essential information and highlights a number of key issues that should be pondered by anyone, in any jurisdiction, interested in the provision of effective 'alternatives to prison;' in a contemporary context'.