Trends in Corrections : Interviews With Corrections Leaders Around the World

With a fresh set of interviews exploring cross-cultural differences and similarities, Volume Three of this book includes lessons from practitioners in a diverse array of countries including Honduras, Japan, Lithuania, the Philippines, Thailand, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, and the United States. This book series is based on the premise that comparing countries around the world and getting 'inside' information about each country’s correctional system can be best derived by having people who are seasoned practitioners in each country share their views, experiences, philosophies and ideas.

Since most correctional practitioners do not have the time or inclination to encapsulate their experiences into a book chapter, the insight of the practitioner can be best captured by a revealing interview with a researcher given the questions and interview guidelines associated with each chapter. Researchers selected are scholars in corrections, will possibly have conducted original research on the topic, and will have access to the corrections officials in his or her country. Additionally, the researcher exhibits a deep understanding and knowledge of his or her country’s correctional system, and questions will be derived specifically from the laws and conditions present. Any current crises or solutions will be able to have focused questions crafted by each researcher, while still having each interviewer stay within the topic areas that the general questions probe. Each researcher explains any esoteric or unusual terminology used by the corrections official, and defines any current issues necessary for the reader’s knowledge.

While there are many books written on corrections management, ethics, and practices, there is great value in approaching international corrections practices and policies from this unique vantage point and as a result this book will be of interest to academics, researchers, practitioners and both undergraduate and postgraduate students with an interest in corrections and comparative criminal justice studies.

Dilip K. Das has years of experience in criminal justice practice, research, writing, and education. After obtaining his master’s degree in English literature, Dr Das joined the Indian Police Service, an elite national service with a distinguished tradition. Dr Das is a professor of criminal justice, a former police chief, and a human rights consultant to the United Nations. He is the founding president of the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES), managing the affairs of the organisation in cooperation with an appointed group of police practitioners and academics from around the world. He is also the founding editor in chief of Police Practice and Research: An International Journal. He is author, editor, or co-editor of more than 30 books and numerous articles. Dr Das has received several faculty excellence awards and was a distinguished faculty lecturer.

Philip Birch, BSocSci (Hons); PG Cert (HEP); PG Cert (SSRM); PG Dip (SocSci); MSc; PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the Centre for Law and Justice at Charles Sturt University, Australia. He has previously held posts at the University of Western Sydney, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and the University of Huddersfield, in the UK. Prior to entering academia, Philip worked as a criminologist in the field, holding posts in the UK prison service as well as in the crime and disorder field, which involved managing a specialist crime unit. Philip has published internationally, including books, book chapters, peer reviewed articles and government reports in his main areas of research – offender management and rehabilitation; police, prisons and probation practices; gender symmetry violence with a particular focus on domestic family violence and sex work. He has secured over $830,000 in research funding and support grants, which has addressed at a variety of themes within his areas of expertise and, in May 2017, he was invited to represent Australia at the United Nations, presenting on his research. Philip holds an honorary research fellowship in the School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK, as well as a Senior Research Associate in the Ashworth Research Centre, Mersey Health Care, National Health Services, UK. He is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Philip was the co-founder and inaugural editor in chief of the Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice (JCRPP, 2014–2017) and is currently the editor in chief of Salus, an international journal for law enforcement and public safety (2018–Present); he also sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research.