’... I admire, and would recommend, the book as a model of academic writing, exegesis, explanation and argument. The authors are clearly very much at home with the vast array of empirical materials and theoretical perspectives which they describe, explain and employ with ease and elegance of expression...It is that clever and seamless combination of structure and strategy which unifies the six authors’ contributions into one consistent and coherent authorial voice. And, also arguably, it is that authoritative but multiply-nuanced voice that endows the book with its discursive power.’ British Journal of Criminology ’The cutting edge theorizations and focus on colonialism and racism by Australia’s leading penal theorists make this book an outstanding and original exercise in comparative and historical criminology.’ Pat Carlen, University of Kent, UK ’This is a compelling account of contemporary penal development in Australia and its underlying causes. In what is a rarity, the analysis is based on research in each state. It will be of great interest both in Australia and beyond.’ John Pratt, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand ’The revalorization of imprisonment is a development that has shocked and dismayed experts around the world. This remarkable book examines the prison’s changing meanings, traces its shifting place in contemporary culture, and offers penetrating insights into the social and political processes that explain the surprising resurgence of this 19th century institution in the 21st century.’ David Garland, New York University, USA and author of The Culture of Control and Peculiar Institution