The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Tourism

"The word 'comprehensive' is often over-used, but The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Tourism really is the most comprehensive collection of works on the topic ever published. Bringing together all the leading international experts in the field, from a range of academic disciplines, the editors have succeeded in producing the definitive handbook on prison museums and prison tourist sites. A phenomenal achievement." (Yvonne Jewkes, Research Professor in Criminology, School of Applied Social Science, University of Brighton, UK) "Prisons are Other places where social justice and institutional hegemony is signified. Yet, former prisons as tourist attractions now offer a punishment gaze where heritage custodians take charge of a 'penal spectatorship'. Incarceration transcends cultures and nations and, as such, (his)stories of our carceral past are played out within contemporary 'prison tourism'. This seminal reference volume offers comprehensive and critical international accounts of our carceral memorialization and, consequently, is undoubtedly the 'go-to' text for scholarly enquires into prison tourism within the broader visitor economy." (Dr Philip Stone, Executive Director: Institute for Dark Tourism Research, University of Central Lancashire, UK) "The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Tourism is an international collection on prison tourism that provides a timely global context in an extensive offering of forty-eight chapters from key researchers in the field. This major work extends theoretical discussions on the sociological and political implications of the phenomenon, historical legacies of state power and colonialism as well as analysis of curatorial, heritage and tourism management perspectives. In doing so the authors raise serious questions about the ongoing impacts of incarceration and the ways in which these former sites of imprisonment are interpreted, visited, promoted as destinations and ultimately understood in the present day." (Professor Keir Reeves, Federation University Australia)

This extensive Handbook addresses a range of contemporary issues related to Prison Tourism across the world. It is divided into seven sections: Ethics, Human Rights and Penal Spectatorship; Carceral Retasking, Curation and Commodification of Punishment; Meanings of Prison Life and Representations of Punishment in Tourism Sites; Death and Torture in Prison Museums; Colonialism, Relics of Empire and Prison Museums; Tourism and Operational Prisons; and Visitor Consumption and Experiences of Prison Tourism. The Handbook explores global debates within the field of Prison Tourism inquiry; spanning a diverse range of topics from political imprisonment and persecution in Taiwan to interpretive programming in Alcatraz, and the representation of incarcerated Indigenous peoples to prison graffiti. This Handbook is the first to present a thorough examination of Prison Tourism that is truly global in scope. With contributions from both well-renowned scholars and up-and-coming researchers in the field, from a wide variety of disciplines, the Handbook comprises an international collection at the cutting edge of Prison Tourism studies. Students and teachers from disciplines ranging from Criminology to Cultural Studies will find the text invaluable as the definitive work in the field of Prison Tourism.