ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the phenomenon of prison expansionism. It does so by first considering trends of imprisonment, demonstrating that despite differences within and between countries in the use of the prison, there is a continuing convergence of prison responses. These trends, however, are juxtaposed against the uncertain relationship between prison use and crime trends. The chapter is argued that little conclusive evidence supports the use of imprisonment for the purpose of reducing crime rates. The chapter considers the purported uses of the prison alongside theorizations of its actual uses and functions. The prison is one of the most widespread criminal justice sanctions in the world. The most damning evidence for the use of the prison is the problematic and seemingly spurious relationship between crime rates and imprisonment rates. The chapter concludes by considering the problems of both prison and penal expansionism, questioning the logic and potential consequences of governing social policy problems with a chronically failing criminal justice response.
