Convict Criminology

Book excerpt: Convict criminology is a promising new approach to criminology that is rooted in the study of criminology by people who have firsthand experience of imprisonment. This book is the first to trace the emergence of convict criminology and explore its potential relevance outside the United States, specifically in the United Kingdom and Europe. Drawing on Rod Earle's own experience of imprisonment, Convict Criminology presents uniquely reflective scholarship that combines personal experience with critical perspectives, examining the ways that prisoners, ex-prisoners, and prison research contribute to knowledge of criminology and the ways that racism, colonialism, and class shape both the penal experience and the social world beyond the prison.