Beginning with the punishment systems of the ancient world, Sean O'Toole investigates the birth of the modern prison, the transportation process, the convict era and finally the creation of Australia’s various State and Territory prisons and community corrections systems.

Includes chapter on imprisonment of Aborigines and details of Rottnest Island prison.

Gives voice to a diverse range of viewpoints on the debate on prisoners' rights, with contributions from prisoners, human rights activists, academics, criminal justice policy makers and practitioners.

An unprecedented spate of murders in the 1990s - seven in just three years - earned Goulburn Jail the ominous name of 'The Killing Fields'. Inmates who were sentenced or transferred to the 130 - year - old towering sandstone menace declared they had been given a death sentence. Gang alliances, power plays, contracted hits, the ice trade, the colour of your skin - even mistaken identity - any number of things could seal your fate. The worst race war in the history of Australian prisons saw several groups - Aboriginal, Lebanese, Asian, Islander and Anglo - wage a vicious and uncontrollable battle for power. Every day there were stabbings. Every day there were bashings. And then there was murder. A controversial policy known as 'racial clustering' might have put an end to the Killing Fields, but soon something far scarier would arise, something called Supermax . . . Within the stark white walls, clinical halls and solitary confinement, it is where Australia's most evil men are locked away. It is home to serial killer Ivan Milat; the 'Terror Five', militants who plotted attacks across Sydney in 2005; Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy and gang rapist Bilal Skaf, to name a few. Murderers, terrorists, serial killers, gangsters and rapists - soon you will meet them all inside Australia's most murderous prison.

This is an authoritative, comprehensive account of Victoria’s justice system, starting with a tour of the historic justice precinct which is located on the corner of La Trobe Street and Russell Street, Melbourne. The author takes us back to the earliest days of Victoria’s settlement and introduces the politicians, police, magistrates, and even the criminals who played their parts in Melbourne and Victoria’s development. We are shown how the prison hulks developed into stockades on land, and uncover the philosophy behind the construction of the prisons – many no longer occupied – and the building of courts which were built for conducting trials, both civil and criminal. The book is, in many ways, an insight into an aspect of Victoria’s social history about which little has been written elsewhere. It is a valuable addition to the justice bibliography and even exposes a mystery or two. It took seven years to research and fact check, and includes many photos. All of the author’s proceeds of this book after costs will be donated to Victoria Police Legacy, which looks after families of deceased police officers who have died in the course of their duties.

School teacher Joseph Akeroyd was appointed Inspector General of Victoria's prison system in 1924. He held this role until 1947 becoming the longest serving Inspector General in Victoria's history. This book examines the experiences, achievements and failures of Joseph Akeroyd, the longest serving Inspector General of Victoria's (Australia) penal system, in reforming that system. This is not a traditional biography. It traverses Akeroyd's experiences in his time and reflects on reforms through the author's experiences as a contemporary prison educator. Drawing on his education background, Akeroyd revolutionised the ways prisons and prisoners in Victoria were managed and many of these reforms are embedded in current practice. Access to his personal diaries, letters, official reports, newspaper reports and other private documentation gave insights so his single-minded reform agenda establishing Victoria's unique relationship between education and prison management can now be recognised and acknowledged. There are many personal stories where Akeroyd interacted with infamous criminals. The examination of thwarted escape plans, rectifying wrongful convictions, recording the final days of those awaiting the noose, interviewing those about to be whipped or birched and following up after the events are moderated with contemporary stories of modern day interactions between teachers and prisoner students- some humorous, some sad, some sobering. Finally, this book will challenge all readers to reflect on the role of education in prisons, gain insights following stories of conversations with inmates, challenges in changing practice, involved in education, especially prisoner education, whether you are forming policy, advising policy and practice, delivering programs, supporting those undertaking studies, managing those who teach and /or preparing to teach in these unique environments to reflect on your own learnings and how to adequately prepare for those undertaking this vocation in the future.