Book Review: Punishment in the Community: Managing Offenders, Making Choices
| Published date | 01 September 2005 |
| Author | Keith Davies |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050505200312 |
| Date | 01 September 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
08_055148_Reviews (JB-D) 27/7/05 3:29 pm Page 304
304 Probation Journal 52(3)
the UK audience. One interesting example is that California spends $1 billion (two
thirds of its prison budget) on imprisoning parolees who breach their orders, often
for minor offences.
The punitive profit chapter provides a number of interesting insights into the
private prison world, such as the growth of private prisons being built in poor areas
and becoming the key local employer, yet rarely employing local people. Private
prisons often sub-contract prison interventions with little incentive for the various
contractors to work together, leading to governance difficulties in defining who is
responsible when something goes wrong.
Overall a book with limited appeal for a UK audience, primarily written for
students attending criminology courses. This is probably one for the local area
library.
Len Cheston
National Probation Directorate
Punishment in the Community:
Managing Offenders, Making
Choices
Anne Worrall and Claire Hoy
Willan Publishing, 2005; pp 212; £18.99,
2nd Edition
ISBN 1–84392–076–X
It is apt that a second edition of this enjoyable book was
published just before the 2005 general election. It was first
published as Labour came to power in 1997 and, as the
authors point out, this is a good moment to review developments in community
punishment under that leadership. At a time when, it sometimes seems, the debate
about crime is reduced to what can be shouted through a megaphone from a van
or fitted conveniently on an advertising hoarding, this scholarly but ‘irreverent’ (the
authors’ own term) book is especially welcome.
This edition retains the aim of exploring how far it is possible to think of
community punishments independently of imprisonment. The authors remain
sceptical concerning any shift in the core public view that imprisonment is ‘real’
punishment and any community arrangements lack legitimacy and integrity by
comparison. Paradoxically, the more such arrangements seek to project a tough
image, they...
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