[This book is] for everyone interested in the historical development of the ideas on crime and punishment and their impact on the criminal justice system and the fight against crime more widely. It is as much a book for students, researchers and policy makers, as it is for lawyers, magistrates, police officers, public prosecutors and social workers. It is also a book for a wider readership curious about the origins of the current approach to issues of crime and criminal justice. Never before has an introduction to criminology systematically dealt with its history from the sixteenth century up to the present day, as well as the institutions of the criminal justice system: the police, the judiciary, the prison system, rehabilitation and youth protection. This is the first published study not only to discuss the development of criminology and the criminal justice systems of Western Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy) but also to delve into the interplay with the evolution of the system in the United States from the end of the eighteenth century up to this day. In addition, the extensive bibliography and numerous illustrations make this textbook ideal for further study and more in-depth research as well as a pleasure to read"--