Philip Priestley – författare

One of the great archaeological discoveries of the century.Ten years ago a genealogical record was set with the announcement of a direct link between the 9000-year-old skeleton of Cheddar Man and a present-day Cheddar resident Adrian Targett.This book explains:the evolutionary framework and our African rootsthe lives and rituals of late Ice Age hunters on the MendipsCheddar Man in his post-Ice Age world of forests and lakesthe light thrown by Cheddar Man on the origins of farmingA 'must' for all those interested in Britain's distant past, especially those with a particular interest in the Mendips.

Originally published in 1989, Jail Journeys was a contemporary history of the English prison system in the words of those who had endured it as prisoners or who had worked within it. More than 1000 extracts from more than 150 first-hand accounts of life ‘inside’ chronicle the empty routines of the prison day and tell of the loneliness, the despair, the squalor, the fights, the friendships, the sex, the humour. There are also eye-witness accounts of the Dartmoor Mutiny, of hangings and floggings, of escapes, and personal statements by the well-known – James Phelan, Wilfred Macartney, Albert Pierrepoint, Charles Kray, John McVicar, Jimmy Boyle, Alfie Hinds, Lord Alfred Douglas – and by many others less well known. These testimonies, by turn dramatic, literate and naïve, add up to an implicit sociology of the twentieth-century English prison, depicting a divided social structure with ‘screws’ on one side and ‘cons’ on the other.The book is aimed at anyone with an interest in social issues and twentieth-century history as well as students of law, history, sociology, criminology, and social administration, and at professionals working in all these fields.

Originally published in 1989, Jail Journeys was a contemporary history of the English prison system in the words of those who had endured it as prisoners or who had worked within it. More than 1000 extracts from more than 150 first-hand accounts of life ‘inside’ chronicle the empty routines of the prison day and tell of the loneliness, the despair, the squalor, the fights, the friendships, the sex, the humour. There are also eye-witness accounts of the Dartmoor Mutiny, of hangings and floggings, of escapes, and personal statements by the well-known – James Phelan, Wilfred Macartney, Albert Pierrepoint, Charles Kray, John McVicar, Jimmy Boyle, Alfie Hinds, Lord Alfred Douglas – and by many others less well known. These testimonies, by turn dramatic, literate and naïve, add up to an implicit sociology of the twentieth-century English prison, depicting a divided social structure with ‘screws’ on one side and ‘cons’ on the other.The book is aimed at anyone with an interest in social issues and twentieth-century history as well as students of law, history, sociology, criminology, and social administration, and at professionals working in all these fields.

The working of the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act was the subject of much debate in the 1970s. Discussion had been strong on opinion and short on facts; this book, originally published in 1977, supplied some much-needed evidence, based on the results of a research project funded by the Home Office Research Unit. It also discusses the origins of the Act and its consequences for children and their families.The authors describe the way in which two groups of children were dealt with by the police, social workers, probation officers and juvenile courts during the first three months of 1972. Their findings depict a system which decides what to do with ‘children in trouble’ mainly on the basis of their offence behaviour rather than on assessments of their personal needs – a ‘judicial’ rather than ‘welfare’ system of the kind envisaged in the legislation. As a result of these observations, the authors conclude that ‘the idea of the juvenile court has been tried and found wanting, and that it suffers from the congenital defects which fresh applications of money or manpower will fail to cure.’ They recommend the abolition of the juvenile court and the raising of the age of criminal responsibility, proposing a number of controversial alternatives based on principles of non-intervention.

The working of the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act was the subject of much debate in the 1970s. Discussion had been strong on opinion and short on facts; this book, originally published in 1977, supplied some much-needed evidence, based on the results of a research project funded by the Home Office Research Unit. It also discusses the origins of the Act and its consequences for children and their families.The authors describe the way in which two groups of children were dealt with by the police, social workers, probation officers and juvenile courts during the first three months of 1972. Their findings depict a system which decides what to do with ‘children in trouble’ mainly on the basis of their offence behaviour rather than on assessments of their personal needs – a ‘judicial’ rather than ‘welfare’ system of the kind envisaged in the legislation. As a result of these observations, the authors conclude that ‘the idea of the juvenile court has been tried and found wanting, and that it suffers from the congenital defects which fresh applications of money or manpower will fail to cure.’ They recommend the abolition of the juvenile court and the raising of the age of criminal responsibility, proposing a number of controversial alternatives based on principles of non-intervention.

‘Gate fever’ is the name of a non-medical syndrome said to infect men in prison as the date of their discharge draws near. Its symptoms are euphoria and anxiety, mixed with irrational thinking; and the unfailing cure of the condition is the cold douche of reality which awaits the victim outside the prison gate. The primary aim of this book, originally published in 1984, is to describe and promote social-skills-based methods for helping offenders cope better with the problems they face in the community: finding and keeping work and accommodation, managing money and leisure time, getting on with other people and, in some cases, controlling their drinking or violent behaviour. Based on an action-research project undertaken with nearly four hundred men in Ranby and Ashwell prisons and at the Sheffield day training centre, the book outlines the origins of the project, the design and development of course materials, and the training of prison officers and probation staff to administer them. It looks at the characteristics of the men who took part in the experiment and at their problems, and details the content and conduct of the courses in practice. The results of the work are also reported, often in the words of the men who made use of the methods. Overall offending rates were not reduced but violent offenders at Ranby were less likely to be re-convicted of violent offences after release.One of the outcomes of the project was a model for working with offenders which has spread to other prisons and probation areas. A final chapter discusses the difficulties of doing innovative work in penal establishments and makes suggestions for developing social skills work with prisoners and probationers.

‘Gate fever’ is the name of a non-medical syndrome said to infect men in prison as the date of their discharge draws near. Its symptoms are euphoria and anxiety, mixed with irrational thinking; and the unfailing cure of the condition is the cold douche of reality which awaits the victim outside the prison gate. The primary aim of this book, originally published in 1984, is to describe and promote social-skills-based methods for helping offenders cope better with the problems they face in the community: finding and keeping work and accommodation, managing money and leisure time, getting on with other people and, in some cases, controlling their drinking or violent behaviour. Based on an action-research project undertaken with nearly four hundred men in Ranby and Ashwell prisons and at the Sheffield day training centre, the book outlines the origins of the project, the design and development of course materials, and the training of prison officers and probation staff to administer them. It looks at the characteristics of the men who took part in the experiment and at their problems, and details the content and conduct of the courses in practice. The results of the work are also reported, often in the words of the men who made use of the methods. Overall offending rates were not reduced but violent offenders at Ranby were less likely to be re-convicted of violent offences after release.One of the outcomes of the project was a model for working with offenders which has spread to other prisons and probation areas. A final chapter discusses the difficulties of doing innovative work in penal establishments and makes suggestions for developing social skills work with prisoners and probationers.

This book is a collection of essays by a unique group of authors about the political destruction of the probation service in England and Wales.

The punitive prison currently dominates the practice of Anglo-American criminal justice, stigmatising its victims as perpetual 'offenders' and failing to change a majority of them for the better. Books of academic 'readings' sometimes profess neutrality over the controversies they invigilate. Offenders or Citizens? sits on no such fences, its pages reflect the fiercely partisan nature of the contest between rehabilitation and punishment. Probation, social work, youth justice, law, corrections, criminology, journalism, philosophy, politics, popular culture, psychology, anthropology, and sociology – the voices of participants, professionals, and writers from many realms are all represented in this lively selection. Its aim - to stimulate and furnish a debate about the proper place of rehabilitation within a plural, morally defensible, and effective response to crime. This book will be essential reading for both students and practitioners within criminal justice, who have an interest in the rehabilitation of convicted individuals, and providing an essential broader context to the 'what works' debate.

The punitive prison currently dominates the practice of Anglo-American criminal justice, stigmatising its victims as perpetual 'offenders' and failing to change a majority of them for the better. Books of academic 'readings' sometimes profess neutrality over the controversies they invigilate. Offenders or Citizens? sits on no such fences, its pages reflect the fiercely partisan nature of the contest between rehabilitation and punishment. Probation, social work, youth justice, law, corrections, criminology, journalism, philosophy, politics, popular culture, psychology, anthropology, and sociology – the voices of participants, professionals, and writers from many realms are all represented in this lively selection. Its aim - to stimulate and furnish a debate about the proper place of rehabilitation within a plural, morally defensible, and effective response to crime. This book will be essential reading for both students and practitioners within criminal justice, who have an interest in the rehabilitation of convicted individuals, and providing an essential broader context to the 'what works' debate.

This is the first publication in a single work of all known Chester punch marks, and continues the tradition of the standard volumes of Jackson, Grimwade, Culme and Pickford. It is also the first time that the twentieth-century Chester marks have been published. It is produced in dictionary format, in alphabetical order from 1570, the date of the earliest known mark, to 1962 at which time the Chester assay office was closed. The authors, both members of the Silver Society, were given unlimited access to the Chester Assay Office records covering 1686 to 1962, and to the Chester Goldsmiths' Company records dating from the 16th century. The compendium has four sections. The preface provides an historical background and details of all extant records and copper plates. Part 1 is devoted to assay office marks, with a full set of date letter tables to assist the reader in dating wares. Part 2 covers nearly 10,000 entries for makers' marks, including pictograms and monograms. Finally, the appendices include items on assay volumes and charges, thimble makers, and Liverpool watchcase makers. Since over 2,000 of the entries have Birmingham addresses, the new work will also enhance available information on jewellers and silversmiths working in this important trade centre. The format of the marks' tables and the extensive index will also allow future research into the relationships between companies and agents.

This handbook provides a unique overview of rehabilitation as practiced internationally in criminal justice.