Routledge International Handbook of Wellbeing and Wellness in Criminal Justice

The Routledge International Handbook of Wellbeing and Wellness in Criminal Justice takes an interdisciplinary, international approach to examine how criminal justice institutions both undermine and promote wellness, offering evidence-informed, culturally responsive approaches to reduce harm and foster human flourishing.

This landmark Handbook is the first authoritative text examining how criminal justice system impacts the wellness and well-being of all those involved, including criminalised people, staff and professionals working in the system, family members, and the wider public. Defining wellness as the interrelationship between physical, psychological, and social health, it examines policing, prisons, correctional services, and courts through interdisciplinary, global perspectives. Contributors combine empirical research, theoretical analysis, creative outputs, and practitioner reflections to identify mechanisms through which harm is produced and mitigated. The Handbook equips readers with evidence-informed insights and culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches to translate scholarship into more humane, effective, and wellness-centered policy and practice.

An accessible and compelling read, this book is an essential reference text for academics, researchers, students, practitioners and policymakers engaged with health and wellness in the criminal justice system.