NCJ Number
145961
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1993) Pages: 197-219
Date Published
1993
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The author provides an introduction to the prison reform movement in England.
Abstract
While incarcerative reform is the focus of the article, pre- and post-incarcerative reforms are also reviewed. Groups lobbying for penal reform include government administrators, trade unions, professional associations, and other organizations. Some of the most prominent groups are listed and briefly described according to issue orientation, service provided, size, and source of funding. A main concern is that, unlike the United States and many other European countries, England has no code of minimum standards for the operation of prisons. As Crown property, prisons are by law protected from employee divulgences and court proceedings; this, and the country's general propensity toward incarcerating offenders are among the most significant barriers to penal reform. Yet, England has a tradition of humane penal reform; once, incarceration was introduced as an replacement for corporal punishment. 4 tables and 25 references