The sociology of punishment and punishment today; punishment and social solidarity - the work of Emile Durkheim; punishment and the construction of authority - a reworking of Durkheimian themes; the political economy of punishment - Rusche and Kirchheimer and the Marxist tradition; punishment as ideology and class control - variations on Marxist themes; punishment and the technologies of power - the work of Michel Foucault; beyond the power perspective - a critique of Foucault on punishment; the rationalization of punishment - Weberian themes and modern penality; punishment and culture - cultural forms and penal practices; punishment and sensibilities - a genealogy of "civilized" sanctions; punishment as a cultural agent - penality's role in the creation of culture; punishment as a social institution.

`This is a superbly intelligent study, without doubt the best yet written on a topic, penality, which the author has done so much to develop. Its comprehensive coverage makes it a genuine review of the field. Its clarity of style and exposition will make it an ideal undergraduate introduction to the subject. Its scholarship and incisiveness of judgement will make it a constant reference work for the initiated and its concluding theoretical synthesis will make it a challenge and inspiration for those undertaking research and writing on the subject. As a state of the art account it is unlikely to be bettered for many a year ... It is hoped that Oxford University Press will not wait long before publishing it as a more widely accessible paperback ... It is a notable achievement.' Rod Morgan, British Journal of Criminology `For anyone interested in doing research on punishment, Garland's fine theoretical critique would be an excellent starting point.' Canadian Journal of Sociology `... an insightful critique of existing approaches to the theory of punishment' Harvard Law Review `... will become a landmark study' Andrew Rutherford, Legal Studies 'Stimulating and insightful' Sociology 'This is an excellent book. Anyone with an interest in criminal justice or, for that matter, history and contemporary sociology, will find it stimulating and enjoyable ... This book maintains his high academic standards, but its accessibility to the non-academic marks it out for special praise. It will undoubtedly have an impact on all who read it and through them, one hopes, on the practices of punishment as much as on the development of thinking about it. It is well worth reading.' The Scots Law Times 'It is an ambitious project and one to which he brings wide reading and a keen intelligence. His exposition of penal theory is lucid and readable.' Scottish Child 'This is an impressive book. It ought to provoke much thought ... Garland succeeds admirably in demonstrating that punishment is a complex moral, cultural and social issue. Contemporary penology has been warned that it should no longer neglect this fundamental point.' The Juridical Review 'The book ... is well structured and written in simple and straightforward manner and would surely be an indispensable student text for courses in sociology and criminology especially as it now wisely appears in paperback.' Michael Addo, University of Exeter, Braiton Law Journal 'Punishment and Modern Society provides a broad-ranging survey of the main proponents of this sociological perspective. It provides an admirably lucid, yet penetrative account of the key texts which form its bedrock ... Criminologists and sociologists will ignore its challenge at their peril.' Lucia Zedner, London School of Economics and Political Science, The Modern Law Review, Vol. 55 'This is a book that is unashamedly theoretical and, for that reason, it should be read - even if it gives you a hard time.' Peter Rush, LCCJ Newsletter, No. 14, Spring 1992 `David Garland's Punishment in Modern Society provides an admirable account of how the shining certainties of the Enlightenment consensus have been destroyed ... Punishment in Modern Society is, however, much more than a useful textbook and is itself a thoughtful contribution to the great debate on penal theory ... Garland's book presents a persuasive and illuminating account of the sociological theories of punishment. His own contribution to the debate is interesting and convincing. It is eclectic in the best sense of the word.' Utilitas `a splendidly erudite, wide-ranging and thought-provoking study of Parliament and Modern Society. It is not only sociologically literate but also sociologicall intelligent, moving effortlessly - and almost elegantly - through the writings of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Elias, Geertz, Foucault, taking in many others ... It provides a sort of thematic and conceptual reservoir for graduate students in criminology and penology precisely because it attempts to make clear what the relevance to them of larger grand theories might be in relation to the questions which they are asked to tackle on a week-to-week basis.' British Journal of Sociology 'his book is a concerted attempt to convince scholars to analyse punishment in the context of a society's cultural mentalities and sensibilities' Stephen J. Bitzer, University of Toronto, Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 30(2) 1993 `David Garland critiques the writings of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Michael Foucault. The author believes that the theoretical richness of these writings, as they relate to the social nature of punishment, has not been tapped ... Garland's superb critique of these writings sensitizes us to the fact that penal policies are a reflection of our own cultural mentalities and sensibilities.' Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology `indispensable' Dr Richard Jenkins, University College of Swansea `Indispensable.' Dr Richard Jenkins, University College of Swansea `This book offers an excellent critique of theoretical perspectives on punishment and will be of enormous value to students training to be probation officers in the modern Probation Service.' T. Eadie, University of Nottingham `indispensable.' Dr Richard Jenkins, University College of Swansea `The book offers an excellent critique of theoretical perspectives on punishment and will be of enormous value to students training to be probation officers in the modern Probation Service.' Tina Eadie, University of Nottingham `indispensable' Dr Richard Jenkins, University College of Swansea