Doing Time: An Introduction to the Sociology of Imprisonment

Doing Time is an essential text for students in criminology and criminal justice an authoritative overview of key debates in punishment and imprisonment. This edition, thoroughly revised and updated throughout, is a highly accessible guide, providing the tools to critically engage with today's central issues in penology and penal policy.

Examining imprisonment both historically and sociologically, and in international perspective, Doing Time outlines theoretical debates, and goes beyond standard introductory texts to help students develop their own critical and informed opinions.

This new edition includes three new chapters, an up-to-date biblography, fully revised statistical information and a guide to key internet resources.

Issues explored include:

How incarceration became established as the foemost form of punishment

The role of space, time and labour in the evolution of prisons and prison life

Why prison populations are rising despite the fall in crime figures

An examination of key prison populations-juveniles, women and ethnic groups

Crime and the business cycle-links between crime, unemployment and imprisonment

Globalisation and crime control

The future of imprisonment