Rehabilitation, crime and justice

Should we simply punish offenders, or should they be sentenced in ways, which help them to learn how to manage their lives better and to do less harm to other people? This book is written for students and academics in the fields of criminal justice and penal policy, and for all those concerned professionally (as social workers, probation officers, prison officers, youth justice workers, magistrates), with the rehabilitation of offenders. The authors (who are experienced researchers and practitioners in this field) cover the history, theory and practice of rehabilitation over more than two hundred years. They also describe how penal policy and practice have been influenced by different views of the value and effectiveness of rehabilitation, ranging from early optimism to 'nothing works' and most recently the attempt to develop evidence-based practice in the 'What Works' movement. The final chapters review the latest evidence and argue for an approach to rehabilitation, which engages with communities and recognizes the offender's responsibility and potential for 'making good'.