Are more people being imprisoned throughout the world? Why is imprisonment still being used on a wide scale when an increasing number of alternatives are available? What are the major developments in prison law in the last decade? What problems arise in prison systems when states become constitutional democracies for the first time? Should prisons be privatized? How can prison conditions and prisoners' rights be improved? What special measures should there be for women, juveniles, violent offenders or drug addicts in prison? What programmes work effectively under which conditions? The second...

First published in 1999, this collection of articles responds to the controversial debate on whether prison labour constitutes betterment or slave labour. The volume is a stock-taking exercise designed to elicit basic information as a foundation for reconsidering fixed assumptions about prison labour. This controversial issue has had sometimes diametrically opposed claims about it over the years. Contributors examine the issue within the context of a range of countries, alongside broader perspectives on international elements and reflections.