This book challenges the myths and misrepresentations that justify the existence of prisons. It traces the history and failure of prison reform over two centuries, addresses a number of key, contemporary issues and argues for the abolition of prisons.

It explores:

• The problem with liberal reformism.
• The myths around crime, the prison population and prison regimes.
• People in prison and the harms they experience.
• The relationship between prisons, punishment and structural inequality.
• The case for abolishing prisons.

Aimed at students, researchers, grassroots organisations, prisoners’ rights activists, policy makers and anyone interested in social justice, its conclusion is clear; there needs to be fundamental and meaningful change. Prisons, the criminal injustice system and structural inequalities need to be radically transformed and abolished if social justice is to be achieved.

The What Do We Know and What Should We Do About...? series offers readers short, up-to-date overviews of key issues often misrepresented, simplified or misunderstood in modern society and the media. Each book is written by a leading social scientist with an established reputation in the relevant subject area.

"If you want to learn a lot about what matters most, in as short a time as possible, this is the series for you." – Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of Oxford