Doing Time provides an introduction to some of the main sociological debates associated with imprisonment. It incorporates a review of a wide range of material on imprisonment and is designed to acquaint students, researchers and practitioners with the literature on the subject. Beginning with a historical examination of the emergence of the modern prison, the book examines the developments on incarceration over the last century and a half. It looks at the processes through which order and disorder occur in prisons and the ways in which prisoners adapt to this form of confinement. The changing size and composition of imprisonment is also critically investigated, particularly in relation to unemployment and the emergence of an underclass. The second half of the book looks in more detail at the imprisonment of young people, women and ethnic minorities, and finally engages in an exploration of the future of imprisonment.