In the late 1950s crime and its treatment had never been of greater public interest. In The English Prisons, originally published in 1960, D.L. Howard used his knowledge of academic criminology and his practical experience of criminals of all ages to produce a book which would be of value to all who were concerned with crime in this country at the time.

The author gives the first full survey of the history of prisons to appear for many years. He describes conditions in the early prisons and prison hulks, the colonial penal settlements, and the part played by outstanding individuals such as John Howard, Elizabeth Fry and Alexander Paterson in the development of the modern prison system. He then discusses, in the light of first-class experience as a trained sociologist working inside an English prison, the changes which were taking place in the treatment of criminals, and the problems which these changes were creating.

Mr Howard shows a rare insight into his subject, and this, together with an ability to write vividly and informally, would make his book appeal to both the general reader and all who were studying the social sciences in the universities and as part of their training for social work. Today it can be read in its historical context.