The Real Pain of Punishment explores the true pains of incarceration using insights from empirical sciences and people with lived prison experiences. The book highlights the concept of 'belonging' as an unprecedented lens for critically interrogating the legitimacy of incarceration across penal theory, sentencing practice, and human rights frameworks. The chapters chart pathways for bridging the gap between the normative idea of punishment and the stark realities of prison life. The final chapter, written with scholars currently and formerly incarcerated in a New York State facility, reflects on how embracing belonging within penal approaches can inform responses to harm grounded in humanization, proximity, empowerment, and collaboration. With this chapter and more, the book, advances a call for deeper epistemic dialogue within legal discourse on crime, punishment, and justice. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available open access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

‘A powerful book that illuminates the humanity of those most affected by the legal system, revealing how belonging can transform lives and reshape justice itself.’

Geraldine Downey - Robert Johnston Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology & Director of the Center for Justice, Columbia University in New York

‘Federica Coppola is one of the leading authors in a new wave of legal studies on prisons and corrections. This timely and pioneering work is required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the harsh reality of punishment through the eyes of those suffering its pains. This book marks a turning point in academic legal literature.’

Adriano Martufi - Associate Professor of Criminal Law, University of Pavia

‘In this important book, Federica Coppola weaves together empirical and normative arguments to show that imprisonment threatens the fundamental human need to belong. Engaging with the lived realities of incarceration and incorporating the voices of currently and formerly incarcerated scholars, Coppola develops a passionate and compelling argument for reimagining both our systems of punishment and our understanding of those we punish.’

Matt Matravers - Professor of Law, University of York