Prisoners’ Rights: Principles and Practice considers prisoners’ rights from socio-legal and philosophical perspectives, and assesses the advantages and problems of a rights-based approach to imprisonment. At a time of record levels of imprisonment and projected future expansion of the prison population, this work is timely.

The discussion in this book is not confined to a formal legal analysis, although it does include discussion of the developing jurisprudence on prisoners’ rights. It offers a socio-legal rather than a purely black letter approach, and focuses on the experience of imprisonment. It draws on perspectives from a range of disciplines to illuminate how prisoners’ rights operate in practice. The text also contributes to debates on imprisonment and citizenship, the treatment of women prisoners, and social exclusion.

This book will be of interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students of penology and criminal justice, as well as professionals working within the penal system.

'Prisoners’ Rights is a thoroughly researched and thought provoking book. By placing prisoners’ rights within the wider historic and socio-legal contexts and examining practices in different jurisdictions (largely England and Wales, the United States and Holland), Susan Easton offers a comprehensive assessment which extends far beyond a traditional analysis of legal instruments and case-law. The book successfully demonstrates why a rights based approach to imprisonment benefits not only the prisoners themselves, but also contributes to the legitimacy, stability and security of prison systems, as well as wider society, through promoting prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration.

This is an important and timely book, which should be of interest to a wide readership beyond academia and the legal profession.' – Dr Sharon Shalev, Mannheim Centre for Criminology, LSE & International Centre for Prison Studies. Author of 'Supermax, Controlling Risk through Solitary Confinement' (2009).

'This discussion of prisoner rights is a welcome addition to the current literature and is particularly timely. By placing rights in their historical, philosophical and social context the book encourages a long-view that is essentially rational and progressive.'-Jamie Bennett, Governor of HMP Grendon and Springhill, in Prison Service Journal no 201.

Susan Easton is Reader at Brunel Law School.