This study on imprisonment, the first to appear since the Woolf report on British prisons in 1990, begins with a discussion of the religious and philosophical underpinnings of imprisonment. It is substantially a recent development, replacing the older punishment of exile, whilst keeping many of its important elements. The book continues with a history of the development of imprisonment. There is some consideration of the international instruments that govern imprisonment, before an extended discussion of the position now in Britain and other parts of the world. The book concludes with a powerful call for justice in the use and administration of imprisonment. Another book by Andrew Coyle is "Inside: Rethinking Scotland's Prisons" and Vivian Stern is also the author of "Bricks of Shame".