First published in 1999, this collection of articles responds to the controversial debate on whether prison labour constitutes betterment or slave labour. The volume is a stock-taking exercise designed to elicit basic information as a foundation for reconsidering fixed assumptions about prison labour. This controversial issue has had sometimes diametrically opposed claims about it over the years. Contributors examine the issue within the context of a range of countries, alongside broader perspectives on international elements and reflections.

1. Austria. Arno Pilgram. 2. Botswana and Ghana. Kwame Frimpong. 3. England and Wales. Jon Vagg and Ursula Smartt. 4. Germany. Frieder Dünkel. 5. Hungary. Ferenc Nagy. 6. Israel. Leslie Sebba. 7. Japan. Yuichi Kaido and Katsushiko Iguchi. 8. Namibia. Gail Super. 9. The Netherlands: Work in the Dutch Prison. Constantijn Kelk. 10. The Netherlands: Labour Imposed as a Criminal Punishment outside the Dutch Prison. Miranda Boone. 11. Poland. Zbigniew Holda. 12. South Africa. Dirk van Zyl Smit. 13. Spain. Esther Giménez-Salinas. 14. Switzerland. Andrea Baechtold. 15. United States of America: Prison Labour: A Tale of Two Penologies. James B. Jacobs. 16. United States of America: Inmate Work and Consensual Management in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Mark S. Fleisher and Richard H. Rison. 17. International Perspectives. Helena Henriksson and Ralph Krech. 18. Still 'Slaves of the State': Prison Labour and International Law. Gerard de Jonge. 19. Conclusion: Prison Labour - Salvation or Slavery? Dirk van Zyl Smit and Frieder Dünkel.