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Punishment & Society is an international, interdisciplinary, peer reviewed journal that publishes the highest quality original research and scholarship dealing with punishment, penal institutions and penal control. It is a source of informed commentary and criticism regarding the penal policies and practices of our time. Punishment & Society includes theoretical and empirical contributions from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives including criminology and penology; the sociology of … View full journal description

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

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Articles most recently published online for this journal.
Restricted access
Research article
First published  

“Forty-some years I’ve been on paper”: Navigating probation in later adulthood

  • Michelle S Phelps
  • Hannah Schwendeman
Restricted access
Research article
First published  

Considering the pervasiveness of the “danger imperative” in prisons: Perspectives from reform-oriented correctional officers

  • Veronica Horowitz
  • Patrick Nolan
  • Christopher Uggen
  • Jordan M. Hyatt
  • Synøve N. Andersen
Open Access
Research article
First published  

The punitive mesh: Digital presence, mutual surveillance, and participatory punishment in networked societies

  • Alessandro Corda
Restricted access
Book review
First published  

Book Review: Tolerating State Violence by Elizabeth Stanley

  • Ergün Cakal
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Most read articles in this journal in the last 6 months.
Open Access
Research article
First published  

(In)-justice: An exploration of the dehumanization, victimization, criminalization, and over-incarceration of Indigenous women in Canada

  • Michaela M McGuire
  • Danielle J Murdoch
Open Access
Research article
First published  

States of denial: Magdalene Laundries in twentieth-century Ireland

  • Louise Brangan
Restricted access
Research article
First published  

Depth, weight, tightness: Revisiting the pains of imprisonment

  • Ben Crewe
Open Access
Research article
First published  

Lost in translation: The principle of normalisation in prison policy in Norway and the Netherlands

  • Jill van de Rijt
  • Esther van Ginneken
  • Miranda Boone
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Most cited articles published in this journal in the last 3 years. These statistics are updated weekly using data sourced exclusively from CrossRef.
Open Access
Research article
First published  

‘Time's relentless melt’: The severity of life imprisonment through the prism of old age

  • Marion Vannier
  • Ashley Nellis
Open Access
Research article
First published  

Prosecutors as punishers: A case study of Trump-era practices

  • Mona Lynch
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Articles with the highest Altmetric score from the last 3 months, indicating influence and impact.
Call for Book Review Editor
Top 50 Most Cited Articles
Call for special issue proposals and guidelines
Punishment & Society Endorsements
Virtual Special Issue: Punishment and Border Controls

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Author Meets Critics Sessions

Join us for this new initiative from Punishment & Society. We will be holding an online 'Author Meets Critics' session, focusing on an important book in the field. Find more details below.
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Call for special issues

Punishment & Society is calling for proposals for Special Issues in 2027-28, on topics considered crucial in this field of study. Find out more below.
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Call for abstracts

Punishment & Society invites submissions of abstracts for its 2027 Special Issue “Revisiting Liberal Penality and the Human Rights Script”. Find out more below
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Sponsorship opportunities

Find out more about potential sponsorship opportunities provided by Punishment & Society.
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Punishment & Society endorsements

Click the link below to read a selection of endorsements for the Punishment & Society website.
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Best article prize 2025

Borrowed legitimacy and beseeched resources: How competing professionals negotiate identities and forge symbiosis within Chinese community corrections has won Punishment & Society Best Article Prize for 2025!
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