Philip Whitehead is Professor in Criminal and Social Justice at the University of Teesside. After studying theology at Manchester University and later qualifying as a social worker/probation officer at Lancaster University, Philip worked for the Probation Service in the North East of England before being appointed lecturer at Teesside University in 2007. He has written widely on the history and modernisation of the probation service, co-edited a collection of papers on managerial issues, and co-authored a book on the education of Trainee Probation Officers. His recent books include Organising Neoliberalism: markets, privatisation and justice (Anthem Press 2012), Reconceptualising the moral economy of criminal justice: a new perspective (Palgrave 2015) and Transforming Probation: social theories and the criminal justice system (Policy Press 2016).

Throughout history there has always been an 'other', often based on culture, race, gender or class, that has been demonised by the majority. This attribution of negative features onto others affects everyone, but Whitehead challenges the idea that this is an inevitable fact of life. While looking at the historical criminalisation of the 'other' and the subsequent modernising transformations in criminal justice and penal policy, such as 'Big Society', Whitehead also questions if this is the most effective way to dismantle the conditions of existence responsible for 'othering'. This important book not only looks for the origin of the 'other' but also offers insights for a resolution that benefits society as a whole rather than just the powerful few.

Prologue;

Framing the Other: stepping into the stream of history;

Criminalising the Other: a criminal justice excursus;

Contesting the Other: sinking ethical shafts;

Transcending the Other: moral economy and universal ethics;

Concluding comment.