This volume contains a collection of original articles from a number of the world's leading authorities on imprisonment. The aim of Prisons 2000 is to review the current state of imprisonment around the world and to look at possible future development. The underlying theme of the book is that imprisonment is undergoing a significant change in a number of different countries and that there are important lessons which can be learned from the analysis of these changes. At the same time Prisons 2000 is perceived as a state-of-the-art collection which provides an informed and comprehensive analysis of the major aspects of imprisonment. Consequently it should be of interest to a wide-ranging international audience of academic researchers, policy-makers and students