Abstract
Who should be sent to prison is inseparably connected with the question of what the purpose of prison is. At times it may seem that the tail wags the dog; having conceptualized prisons as a part of either the criminaljustice system or the social welfare system, policy-makers then move on to the issue of how to choose clients to fill the institutions. A rational analysis of the place of prison in society must begin with a conceptual discussion which aims to locate prisons as insitutions within a broader societal context. The role of prisons, the details of prison conditions, and the choice of clients for the prison cannot be decided without placing the prison within the context of social control and social welfare.
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