Persistent Petty Offenders: Problems and Patterns of Multiple Disadvantage

In recent years a category of offender has been described and identified by Home Office research workers and penal reform groups as one which should be kept out of prison wherever possible. In this paper, the author reviews the work which indicates how many offenders fall within this group, and summarises those characteristics they have in common. He then traces the interacting patterns of multiple disadvantage from which so many offenders in this category find it difficult to escape, before drawing some conclusions about the implications of this analysis for penal policy and sentencing practice.