Source: (2002) London: International Centre for Prison Studies. Kings College.
Measuring the performance of prisons is a complex and controversial matter. What is to be measured? How are things to be measured? For whom are measurements being made? The prison service of England and Wales has an elaborate system established for measuring Key Performance Targets, and criminal justice services in England and Wales have Public Service Agreements in which the prison service and probation service are expected to meet objectives to reduce re-offending. In this context, an international roundtable was held in London in November 2001 under the auspices of the Restorative Prison Project. The purpose of the Restorative Prison Project is to assist prisons with new ideas and practices that incorporate restorative principles into the ethos and management of the prison. Pilot programs are being run by the Project in three institutions. Hence, those involved in the Project are interested in developing a way of measuring the impact and effectiveness of the pilot programs. Participants in the roundtable looked at several issues pertaining to measuring the performance of prisons. This booklet contains three papers on those issues by various authorities in criminology and penology.
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