Long-Term Imprisonment and Human Rights

Kirstin Drenkhahn editor Frieder Dünkel editor Manuela Dudeck editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:25th Jun '14

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Long-Term Imprisonment and Human Rights cover

Prisons and imprisonment have become a commonplace topic in popular culture as the setting and rationale for fiction and documentaries and most people seem to have a clear notion of what it is like in prison, ranging from the idea of the prison cell as a cosy nook with fast internet access to that of a dungeon with a hard bed and a diet of bread and water. But what is prison really like? Do prisoners have the same rights as everyone else? What are the similarities and differences between prisons in different European countries?

This book answers all of these questions, whilst also presenting cutting-edge research on the living conditions of long-term prisoners in Europe and considering whether these conditions meet international human rights standards. Bringing together leading experts in the field, with comprehensive coverage of the issues in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain and Sweden, this book offers the first comparative study on the subject.

Whereas past research in this area has concentrated on the Anglo-American experience, this book offers a truly comparative European approach and pays due attention to the differences in prison systems between the post-Soviet countries and continental Europe. This book will be key reading for academics and students of criminology, criminal justice and penology and will also be of interest to students and practitioners of law.

‘A comprehensive and authoritative account of what prison is like in eleven European countries, Long-Term Imprisonment makes an important and timely contribution to an emerging body of literature on prisons and human rights... An invaluable resource for academics, students, lawyers, policy makers and concerned citizens alike.’ - Sharon Shalev, Research Associate, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, UK

‘This is a groundbreaking book illustrating the value and importance of international comparative research. It deals with an extremely important, but largely understudied topic: the living conditions of long-term prisoners in European nations. By presenting results of over 1,000 interviews with prisoners from 36 penal institutions in 11 European countries, it offers a unique comparative empirical study on this issue. The findings will encourage further discussion about prisoners’ rights and the conditions of confinement in European prisons.’ - Anja Dirkzwager, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

‘This book is a rare, large-scale, cross-nationally comparative study on long-term imprisonment in a variety of European countries. It provides unique insight into the conditions of confinement of long-term prisoners and illustrates "good" and "bad" prison practices. The book is a must-have for criminologists, policymakers, academics and anyone interested in prisoners' rights and prison conditions from a European perspective.’ - Paul Nieuwbeerta, Department of Criminology, Leiden University, The Netherlands

ISBN: 9780415679121

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 930g

394 pages