The Penal System: An Introduction - Softcover

Cavadino, Mick; Dignan, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1412929474 ISBN 13: 9781412929479

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2007

Synopsis

Since the publication of the First Edition, The Penal System has been THE essential resource for students and academics in criminal justice and criminology. The new edition has been fully revised and updated to provide the most comprehensive and authoritative overview of punishment and the penal system available. This Fourth Edition provides a stimulating account of penal policy under the New Labour government since 2001, including the new sentencing framework introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the creation of the Sentencing Guidelines Council.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Cavadino, who is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Central Lancashire, is an internationally known author and researcher in the fields of penology (the study of punishment) and mental health law. He is co-author of the leading textbook on the penal system of England and Wales (M Cavadino, J Dignan and G Mair, The Penal System: An Introduction, 5th ed., Sage Publications 2013). His other works include Mental Health Law in Context: Doctors′ Orders? (Dartmouth, 1989) and M Cavadino and J Dignan, Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach (Sage Publications, 2006).

Review

"There are few 'must buy' books for students of criminology and criminal justice, but since its first edition in 1992 The Penal System: An Introduction has been one of them. For accuracy and scope, as well as its remarkable combination of scholarly rigour and readability, the book has no equal, and it has only got better through successive editions."

David Smith, Professor of Criminology, Lancaster University.

"For more than ten years Cavadino and Dignan have provided by far the best policy relevant and theoretically informed account of the British penal system. This new edition has only the high standards of its predecessors to beat. Cavadino and Dignan may not have managed to change the penal system for the better with their book, but no one has delivered a more accessible or intelligent account of why it is so hard to reform."

Mike Nellis, Professor of Criminal and Community Justice, University of Strathclyde

'.. the most authoritative and sophisticated textbook on the penal system of England and Wales. It is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the causes, character and consequences of the current penal 'crisis'.

David Downes, Mannheim Centre of Criminology, London School of Economics.

'What do you look for in a good textbook ? You would expect it to be as up-to-date as possible. To be presented in a clear and accessible style. To cover the issues comprehensively. The Penal System delivers in all of these ways. Mick Cavadino and Jim Dignan write with passion and authority, which makes for an immensely readable book. If there is such a thing as an ideal textbook, then this is it.'

George Mair, Professor in Criminal Justice, Liverpool John Moores University.

'...remains the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and readable text on the subject.'

Yvonne Jewkes, Reader in Criminology, The Open University

'The perfect mix of the theoretical and the practical, Cavadino and Dignan's updated book is the smartest, cutting-edge textbook available on the crucial subject of penology.'

Shadd Maruna, Reader in Criminology, Queen's University Belfast

'.....the book remains an essential resource for students in criminology and criminal justice. The authors are hugely effective in delivering a comprehensive guide to criminal justice issues in the 21st century. Students will also find the self-study guide to electronic sources immensely helpful.'

Loraine Gelsthorpe, Deputy Director and Director of Postgraduate Programmes, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.

"This book provides the reader with a fascinating insight into the factors that helped shape penal philosophies and approaches ot punishment across a variety of different countries." —Barbara Mason, London School of Economics and Political Science (British Journal of Sociology 2007-08-17)

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1412929474
• ISBN 13: 9781412929479
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 488