This edited collection provides an international collection of essays addressing the most important challenge confronting courts in all jurisdictions, common and civil law: how can we restrict the use of imprisonment to avoid unnecessary human and fiscal costs? Different court systems have devised a range of approaches but few have worked. This book represents multiple jurisdictions including both civil and common law countries and includes chapters from legal scholars, philosophers and empirical researchers. This book has broad appeal, given the widespread interest in the use of custody, and the pressing need to reduce prison costs.

Jakub Drápal is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Charles University in the Czech Republic and Director of its Center for Criminal Justice and Crime Studies.

Julian V. Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford and Executive Director of the Sentencing Academy.