1 Introduction- Governors and the prison system

Why study Governors - a neglected breed?

Purpose and structure of the book

Studying a criminal justice elite

Governors and their role in the prison system

Understanding what Governors do

2 Early Governors - from gaolers to reformers

Gaolers and keepers (before 1779)

Gentlemen Governors (1779-1876)

Administrator Governors (1877-1945)

Reforming Governors (1946-1962)

3 Modern Governors - from administrators to executives

Prison Department Governors (1963-1978)

Prison managers (1979-1986)

Chief executives (1987-1997)

Some themes from history

4 Governing in a changed context

Prisoners' rights and expectations

Politics, the media and prisons

Privatisation and market testing

Risk management and actuarial approaches

New Public Management

5 Today's Governors - origins, career paths and ideologies

Demographic and family background

Education and previous occupation

Career paths

Motivation and job satisfaction

Ideology - values, beliefs and goals

Prison Governor culture

Today's Governors

6 Governing prisons - the reality

The Governor's role and duties

General management and leadership

Incident command

Prison-specific roles and duties

Stakeholder power and impact

Multiple and conflicting roles

Variations in management style and approach

Institutional influences

Ideology, ethics and values

7 Prison governance- some conclusions

Variations on a theme - a typology of Governors

Changes to Governors' work and approach

The continuing significance of the Governor

Prison management theory

Sui generis revisited

8 Prisons, governance and research - looking to the future

Implications for policy and practice

What next? Suggestions for further research

Some final thoughts - governing in the future

Appendix A: Typical management structure in a prison

References

Index