Tackling Prison Overcrowding: Build More Prisons? Sentence Fewer Offenders? (researching Criminal Justice)

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"Tackling Prison Overcrowding" is a response to controversial proposals for prisons and sentencing set out in by Lord Patrick Carter's review of prisons, published in 2007. The Carter Review proposed the construction of vast 'Titan' prisons to deal with the immediate problem of prison overcrowding and the establishment of a sentencing commission as a mechanism for keeping judicial demand for prison places in line with supply. The further use of the private sector, including private sector management methods, was also proposed."Tackling Prison Overcrowding" comprises nine chapters by leading academic experts, who expose these proposals to critical scrutiny. They take the Carter Report to task for construing the problems too narrowly, in terms of efficiency and economy, and for failing to understand the wider issues of justice that need addressing. They argue that the crisis of prison overcrowding is first and foremost a political problem - arising from penal populism - for which political solutions need to be found. This accessible report will be of interest to policy makers, probation practitioners, academics and other commentators on criminal policy.

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RESEARCHING CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERIES Tackling prison overcrowding Build more prisons? Sentence fewer offenders? Edited by Mike Hough, Rob Allen and Enver Solomon Tackling prison overcrowding Build more prisons? Sentence fewer offenders? Edited by Mike Hough, Rob Allen and Enver Solomon International Centre For Prison Studies First published in Great Britain in 2008 by The Policy Press The Policy Press University of Bristol Fourth Floor, Beacon House Queen’s Road Bristol BS8 1QU UK Tel no +44 (0)117 331 4054 Fax no +44 (0)117 331 4093 E-mail [email protected] www.policypress.org.uk © The Policy Press 2008 ISBN 978 1 84742 110 4 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this report is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this report has been requested. The right of Mike Hough, Rob Allen and Enver Solomon to be identified as editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the contributors and editors and not of the University of Bristol or The Policy Press. The University of Bristol and The Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published in this publication. The Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender, race, disability, age and sexuality. Cover image courtesy of iStockphoto® Cover design by Qube Design Associates, Bristol Printed in Great Britain by Latimer Trend, Plymouth Contents List of figures and tables.............................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................v Foreword.............................................................................................................................................................vi Notes on contributors...............................................................................................................................vii 1 Introduction.............................................................................