ABSTRACT
In this chapter we review the key debates and literature about imprisonment in both the United States and the United Kingdom. We identify a number of themes and ideas that have shaped the field of prison studies. We consider the continued use and changing role of incarceration and review the part played by privatization and border control in expanding the prison in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Finally, we discuss recent accounts that have sought to challenge the primacy of the prison in both places, calling for penal moderation and a reduction in the rate of imprisonment.
