Nicola Lacey, 'The Prisoners' Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies': Review

Armstrong, S. (2009) Nicola Lacey, 'The Prisoners' Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies': Review. Edinburgh Law Review, 13(3), pp. 550-551. (doi: 10.3366/E1364980909000821)[Book Review]

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Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/E1364980909000821

Abstract

America imprisons a larger portion of its population than any other country on earth, a fact that has been, paradoxically, a source of both reassurance and worry on this side of the Atlantic. It is reassuring because the extraordinary US imprisonment rate is so much higher than in Scotland or England and Wales (or indeed anywhere else) that large increases in prison populations in the UK seem acceptable by comparison. There is the lurking worry, however, that we are moving along the same trajectory as America and will eventually end up in the same place. Nicola Lacey confronts both complacency and alarm about imprisonment in this thorough and insightful book, urging more, and more nuanced, attention to the distinctive political and economic structures that form the context of penal practices.

Item Type:Book Reviews
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Armstrong, Professor Sarah
Authors: Armstrong, S.
College/School:UNSPECIFIED
Journal Name:Edinburgh Law Review
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
ISSN:1364-9809
Published Online:01 January 2009
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2009 Edinbugh Law Review
First Published:First published in Edinbugh Law Review 13(3):550-551
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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