For each country, an article explains the organization and range of custodial and noncustodial penal sanctions and analyzes the implementation of these sanctions. Using statistical data, the authors examine the nature of the offender population in terms of social class, sex, race, and the types of offenses for which individuals are incarcerated. The authors also critically evaluate trends in the philosophy, practices, and policies of punishment, with emphasis on their relationship to broader processes of social change taking place in the countries. The papers highlight several common trends in corrections policies and strategies across Europe and seeks to assess the extent to which these common features are being generated by the wider process of political integration. The analyses also demonstrate that each country has its own culture of punishment and is constantly reinterpreting and reworking that culture. Figures, tables, notes, chapter reference lists, and index