All the world’s criminal justice systems need to undertake direct work with people who have come into their care or are under their supervision as a result of criminal offences. Typically, this is organized in penal and correctional services – in custody in prisons, or in the community, supervised by services such as probation. Bringing together international experts, this book is the go-to source for students, researchers, and practitioners in criminal justice, looking for a comprehensive and authoritative summary of available knowledge in the field.

Covering a variety of contexts, settings, needs, and approaches, and drawing on theory and practice, this Companion brings together over 90 entries, offering readers concise and definitive overviews of a range of key contemporary issues on working with offenders. The book is split into thematic sections and includes coverage of:

• Theories and models for working with offenders
• Policy contexts of offender supervision and rehabilitation
• Direct work with offenders
• Control, surveillance, and practice
• Resettlement
• Application to specific groups, including female offenders, young offenders, families, and ethnic minorities
• Application to specific needs and contexts, such as substance misuse, mental health, violence, and risk assessment
• Practitioner and offender perspectives
• The development of an evidence base

This book is an essential and flexible resource for researchers and practitioners alike and is an authoritative guide for students taking courses on working with offenders, criminal justice policy, probation, prisons, penology, and community corrections.