The number of prisoners in the UK, USA and elsewhere continues to rise accompanied by growing claims of the reformative effects of imprisonment. At the same time, the post-second world war consensus regarding the damaging effects of institutions has largely faded from memory. This book revisits the important question of whether the prison harms its inhabitants, its employees, prisoners' families, and others, and aims to redirect the conversation among academics, policy-makers and professionals on the effects of imprisonment. It brings together a group of leading scholars to examine the social, psychological, behavioural and emotional impacts of the incarceration experience on prisoners and their families (during and after their captivity) and on society. ''The Effects of Imprisonment'' will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in this field.