The Russian Federation has one of the largest prison populations in the world. Women in particular are profoundly affected by the imprisonment of a family member. Families and Punishment in Russia details the experiences of these women-be they wives, mothers, girlfriends, daughters-who, as relatives of Russia's three-quarters of a million prisoners, are the "invisible victims" of the country's harsh penal policy. A pioneering work that offers a unique lens through which various aspects of life in twenty-first century Russia can be observed: the workings of criminal sub-cultures; societal attitudes to parenthood, marriage and marital fidelity; young women's quests for a husband; nostalgia for the Soviet period; state strategies towards dealing with political opponents; and the social construction of gender roles.

Judith Pallot is a Professor of the Human Geography of Russia, School of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford. Her interest in Russia spans four decades and she is a regular commentator for the media - including BBC Radio 4, Women s Hour, Radio Free Europe and NBC (Canada) - on questions of the Russian penal system. She is the author of a number of books, including most recently (with Laura Piacentini) Gender, Geography and Punishment: Women s Experiences of Carceral Russia (2012), which was awarded the Barbara Heldt prize for the best book in Slavic/East European/Eurasian Women s Studies Studies."