Punishment, Politics and the Realities of Rurality

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the provision of punishment (specifically imprisonment) in rural settings, considering the roles of politics and populism in the delivery of justice outcomes and the impacts on rural communities. It conceptualises the politics of punishment in three key areas: public sentiments and punitive attitudes; the political and socio-economic influences on prison siting in rural areas; and rural prison and post-release challenges. It argues that governmental decision-making often is led by economic factors without necessarily considering social impacts, and that considerations of rural punishment and prisons are both complex and nuanced.